To protect local textile producers, the Nigerian Customs Service plans to ban the sale of secondhand clothes, popularly called Okrika or Gwanjo in local parlance in Nigeria.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, almost 80 per cent of the Nigerian apparel market is filled with secondhand clothes illegally shipped into the country from neighboring states.
As per the database with UN Comtrade, Ivory Coasts imports around 13,066 tonne of secondhand clothes while Ghana imports 79,963 tonne.
Poor people in the region prefer to buy secondhand clothes as they are relatively cheaper and of better quality. The clothing items most in demand include men’s shirts, ladies cotton dresses, men’s cotton pants, men’s underwear, ladies chiffon dresses, and ladies’ t-shirts.
As per estimates, over 200 people in the country are directly or indirectly involved in the business of second-hand clothing. The trade helps stimulate the local markets and generate employment opportunities, says Malam Ibrahim, Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, Kaduna Polytechnic.
The trade also helps Nigerian individuals improve their standard of living by providing affordable clothing options, he adds.
However, the invasion of secondhand clothes in the Nigeria apparel market is stifling the domestic industry leading to job losses and reduced opportunities for local manufacturers. Besides, the transportation and processing of secondhand clothing items also contributes to pollution by generating greenhouse gas emissions. The government can help prevent this by restricting the import volume or introducing minimum quality standards for them, adds Ibrahim.
