Main content

Tanzania’s Second-hand Trade War

Tanzania's government want to phase out imported second-hand clothes, but are Tanzanian manufacturers ready to clothe this rapidly-growing nation?

Second-hand fashion is big business in Tanzania. Every year, it imports millions of dollars-worth of used clothes from richer nations and many ordinary Tanzanians have come to rely on these - known locally as 'mitumba' - as a reliable source of affordable outfits. Now the Tanzanian government want to phase-out these imports, which they say are killing the local textiles industry. But if they do, they risk losing a lucrative trade-aid deal that allows them to export to the United States duty free. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Africa's Sammy Awami investigates the 'mitumba' business and asks local textiles producers if they are ready to clothe this rapidly-growing nation.

Producer: Helen Grady

Photo: Esther Kolale and fellow tailoring students at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre in Dar es Salaam
Credit: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Release date:

Available now

27 minutes

Podcast