African textile industry overwhelmed by Chinese imports

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SME Times News Bureau | 09 Mar, 2010
Imported Chinese fabrics, that mimic the designs of Ghanaian cloth and sell for substantially less, are playing havoc with the African textile industry, according to media reports.

Retailers have abandoned the local cloth and are now selling wax prints from China … the companies have all resorted to the import of gray baft and semi-finished cloth for printing, reported The Stitch Times.

Two well-known Ghanaian companies, Ghana Textile Print and Printex, have shut down spinning and weaving operations that can't compete with Chinese imports.

Between 1996 and 2006, employment in the textile industry decreased from 250,000 to 30,000, The director general of Nigeria’s Textile Manufacturing Association was quoted as saying by the media report.

Chinese exports of textiles to South Africa grew from 40 to 80 percent of imported clothing sold in that country, he added.