US apparel imports from sub-Saharan countries increased 17.97 per cent year-to-date through July compared to the same period in 2017. Kenya’s shipments to the US rose 16.44 per cent and Lesotho’s shipments increased 8.05 per cent. Madagascar’s shipments were up 27.74 per cent and Morocco’s rose 3.65 per cent. On a smaller scale, Tanzania’s shipments rose 1.58 per cent.

Companies are trying to develop broader sourcing strategies and moving production and supply chains out of China into other locations. And Africa is emerging as a viable sourcing option. While African manufacturing is still nascent in many ways, there are clusters in various countries that have begun to establish themselves.

In terms of size and experience, Egypt leads the way as a continental supplier, with US apparel imports from the North African country increasing 16.33 per cent. In potential and pace of growth, Ethiopia is the star, with imports by the United States growing 106.69 per cent.

Ethiopia in the past decade has implemented an aggressive investment promotion program targeting Asian investors in apparel and textiles. This promotion has been matched with concurrent development of large industrial parks with requisite infrastructure for textile and apparel production, along with strong policy support to develop a competitive cotton based textile industry.