Digitalisation offers one of the strongest opportunities to reduce trade friction across Africa, but only if it is used to redesign processes rather than simply reproduce existing bureaucracy in electronic form. Uploading a paper form to a digital platform does…
One of the least visible costs of African trade is the cost of time. A shipment that takes four days instead of two does not only arrive two days later. The delay can affect inventory, working capital, warehouse requirements, production…
If customs inefficiencies represent one source of friction, non-tariff barriers represent another. Tariffs are relatively easy to identify and quantify. Non-tariff barriers can be embedded within the regulatory systems through which businesses must operate; licensing requirements, technical standards, certification procedures,…
Friday, September 4, 2026 Introduction The African Continental Free Trade Area has changed the ambition of African economic integration. By creating a framework for reducing tariffs and establishing preferential access across a continental market, AfCFTA offers African manufacturers an opportunity…
For Africa’s textile and apparel industry, preferential access to international markets has long been viewed as an important pathway to export growth. But market access, by itself, does not guarantee industrial development. As Africa looks towards AGOA 2028, an important…
AGOA has played an important role in supporting African apparel exports to the United States. Its significance for the sector has historically extended beyond tariffs because the programme’s apparel provisions have helped make African production commercially viable within global sourcing…
Wednesday August 26, 2028 Why the proposed extension of U.S. trade preferences should be treated as a window to deepen Africa’s textile value chains, regional sourcing, and industrial competitiveness. Introduction The debate over the future of the African Growth and…
Thursday, August 13, 2026 How circular production, shared infrastructure, renewable energy, and industrial symbiosis can turn Africa’s manufacturing zones into competitive low-carbon ecosystems. Introduction Across Africa, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Processing Zones (EPZs), and industrial parks have become important…
Textile manufacturing is an industry where scale matters. The economics of spinning, weaving, dyeing, and finishing depend heavily on machinery utilization, procurement volumes, energy efficiency, production consistency, logistics, and the ability to spread fixed costs across sufficiently large output volumes.…
Africa’s textile sector has a long history of industrial policy intervention. Governments have used tariffs, import restrictions, subsidies, tax incentives, local-content requirements, and other instruments to protect domestic manufacturers and encourage industrial development. Such measures can have legitimate roles, particularly…