Origin Africa was held in Tanzania from October 28 to 30, 2019. Experts from the public and private sector forecasted the future of the East African cotton, textile and garment industry. During Origin Africa 2019, designers demanded more attention and appreciation for their role. While in India, for instance, designers work with factories and factories work with designers, East African designers hardly have any training working with factories and brands. Their creations are not respected or rewarded as intellectual property.
Even Tanzania is inhabited by over 100 tribes with their own colorful clothing traditions but outside the country garments called kanzu (a white or cream-colored tunic for men) and khanga (a more colorful dress for women) are considered to be the traditional attire of Tanzania.
Employment in the East African textile and apparel industry, including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, could reach 80,000 jobs in 2025 and 2,00,000 in 2030. Garment exports from the region could reach 1.4 billion dollars in 2025 and double to 2.7 billion in 2030. Within two or three years Madagascar is expected to be Africa’s biggest apparel exporter to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, beating Kenya and all other AGOA-entitled African countries.
