In 2014, a number of East African countries imported more than $300 million worth of ‘second hand’ clothing from the United States and other western wealthy countries. However, these used items have created a robust market in Africa and thereby creating a decent amount of jobs. Nevertheless, this has made the region to rely on the western states which is not helping the economy of Africa.
The East African Community made up of Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania proposed a ban on used clothing and shoes in their region by 2019. this is aimed at stopping the dependency on imports from western nations and empower local industries to produce and create jobs. This would enable Africa to produce from their available resources and help boost the local fashion industries and brands.
It would also prevent the in-flow of ‘foreign garbage’ into Africa and encourage Africa as a whole to produce and purchase made in Africa products rather than from other countries. This bid is not to prevent the patronize of products from other countries but to reduce them and buy more of our own.
