Sourcing at Magic to be held in the US, February 20 to 23, will host an Africa Pavilion on the show floor with countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Lesotho, Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda participating. The show will highlight the bustling African region with multiple factories and seminars. It will look at how the Trump administration may impact various free trade agreements and international trade relationships.
Experts will analyze the cause and effect between supply chain and recent challenges in the global economy, such as the elimination of TPP, continued rise of costs in China and trade issues between the US and China. Over the past couple years, serious interest in African countries as a major sourcing destination for apparel has grown.
With the recent renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) through 2025, which allows certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa duty-free access to the US market, the buzz around Africa has become even louder. Major companies including PVH, VF Corp, H&M, Primark and Tesco began sourcing a portion of their garments from this region a few years ago and it quickly made its way to the forefront as a region of opportunity for many apparel brands. Africa offers a great solution for cost sensitive orders and the ability to create high quality products that are not time sensitive.
