Africa’s mitumba sector engages millions and supports circularity: a study

The second-hand clothing (SHC or mitumba) sector enables citizens from low-income households in Africa to purchase high-quality, affordable clothing and provides accessible and flexible employment to millions of people on a continent where labor markets remain almost entirely dependent on un- covering five countries, mechanized agriculture.

It also provides a valuable and reliable source of revenue for hard-pressed African governments, mainly from import tariffs, according to research by independent development economist Joseph Feyertag.

The study shows that the second-hand clothing sector enables citizens from low-income households in Africa to purchase high-quality clothing at an affordable price and provides employment to millions of people on the continent. It also provides governments with a valuable and reliable source of revenue. It demonstrates a robust circular economy that extends the life cycle of clothing.

They found that the increase in mitumba imports in these five countries – Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia – has a positive impact on the labor market.

The mitumba sectors in these five countries employ over 1.28 million people, and each tonne of imported mitumba supports an average of 6.5 jobs. This represents up to 25 percent of total employment in the service sector.

The jobs created in this sector are likely to support more than 2.5 million people, taking into account dependents in households. A recent survey of SHC retailers and traders in Ghana found that 88.1 percent of respondents were the main breadwinners in their households, and the majority of traders (87.8 percent) had at least one dependent, indicating a significant share of in household income.

The study found that informal trade and retail SHCs can provide opportunities to diversify income sources and sustain livelihoods, especially for those stuck in a low-productivity subsistence farming economy.

Contrary to the views of some economic commentators, the study’s literature review found that the increase in imports of used clothing is not a credible explanation for the erosion of Africa’s textile industry.

A more likely reason is that African economies face a comparable cost disadvantage compared to Asian producers. Experts largely agree that difficulties in access to raw materials, a long-term lack of investment in machinery and equipment, and a lack of skills and human capital have resulted in the inexorable decline of the textile industry in many parts of Africa.

This decline was exacerbated by trade liberalization policies, which led to an increased inflow of not only mitumba, but also imports of low-quality new clothing from Asian countries.

The research report added that the second-hand clothing industry clearly demonstrates a robust circular economy that extends the life cycle of clothing.

Fiber2Fashion Information Desk (DS)