Worldview | African Apparel Manufacturers Brace for AGOA Expiry

🌍 African factories set for “debilitating” blow if US fails to renew AGOA. Manufacturers in 32 African countries are bracing themselves for the likely expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the duty-free preferential trade programme granting access to the US market for qualifying products including textiles and apparel. Enacted in 2000 and extended in 2015, the programme’s future is in jeopardy with the Trump administration still withholding renewal despite its expiry on Sep. 30. On Friday, a White House official confirmed that “the administration is supportive of a one-year extension of the programme” but did not offer any firm commitment or timeline. One African trade minister recently said that his meetings on Capitol Hill suggest Congress also supports a one-year extension but that it might not happen until November or December. Companies have warned that a lapse risks job losses and even factory closures as AGOA countries would face US tariffs ranging from around 10-30 percent. Data from the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) for 2024 shows Kenya to be the AGOA country exporting the most textile and apparel ($533.0 million) to the US, followed by Madagascar ($354.8 million), Lesotho ($151.3 million), Tanzania ($79.2 million) and Mauritius ($40.6 million) with the top ten rounded out by Ghana ($39.7 million), South Africa ($22.4 million), Eswatini ($3.7 million), Benin ($2.7 million) and Senegal ($1.6 million). Officials at the International Trade Centre (ITC) have warned that AGOA’s lapse would mean many eligible countries would be hit by a “major drop in exports to the US” with the most vulnerable, including Lesotho, experiencing a “debilitating” hit. Meanwhile, Egypt ($1.3 billion), Morocco ($271.6 million), Ethiopia ($159.9 million) and Tunisia ($96.7 million) are also major African textile and apparel exporters to the US but, being outside AGOA, will not be directly affected by its expiry. [Financial Times, Reuters]

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan textile producers to woo US retailers with trading hubs. The president of the Central Asian nation, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is planning to open textile trading houses in New York and St. Louis, as part of a broader strategy to connect Uzbek manufacturers directly with US retailers and fashion brands. Uzbekistan, one of the world’s largest producers of cotton, has been trying to move up the fashion value chain in recent years. “Even though the actual export volume remains modest still— under $2 million annually, with proper positioning, a targeted marketing strategy, and optimised logistics, Uzbekistan could significantly increase its export volumes to the US,” said Isomiddin Mirzayev, head of international relations and foreign investment at the Uztextile Industry Association. “The overall tariff burden on Uzbek goods remains lower than that on some other countries, potentially giving us a competitive edge—especially as buyers shift orders away from China.” Uzbek textile delegations were also in Turkey this month trying to drum up support for investment and strategic partnerships there. [Fibre2Fashion, Kohan Textile Journal]

🇻🇳 Vietnam’s US footwear exports fall 5.5 percent following tariff hit. The first comprehensive data released since the Trump administration’s 20 percent tariffs took effect on August 7 show Vietnam’s footwear exports to the US fell by 5.5 percent. Vietnam, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of shoes supplying brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma, is at risk of being the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, according to recent estimates by the United Nations Development Programme. Vietnam’s overall exports to America could fall 19.2 percent compared to Thailand’s potential decline of 12.7 percent, Malaysia’s 10.4 percent and Indonesia’s 6.4 percent, the UNDP said. The estimates did not consider the possible effect of 40 percent tariffs on goods transhipped from third countries like China through Vietnam, which could hit the country even harder. [Reuters]

🇵🇰 Pakistani manufacturer Artistic Milliners acquires US firm Cone Denim. The Karachi-based vertically integrated denim producer has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Cone Denim from Elevate Textiles. North Carolina-based Cone, which was founded in the 1890s, operates mills in China and Mexico and, according to president Steve Maggard, has plans to expand to North Africa. “We are committed to bringing the full breadth of our expertise to help unlock Cone’s competitive strengths,” said Artistic Milliners CEO Murtaza Ahmed and MD Omer Ahmed in a joint statement, nothing the firm will retain its own business strategy and identity. Last year, Artistic Milliners bought VF’s Mexico facility, following its acquisition of what is now the SFI factory in California in the US and the opening of an SFI sourcing office in Guatemala. [Fibre2Fashion, BoF Inbox]

🇵🇦 Panama Fashion Week attracts regional designers for its 25th anniversary edition. The annual event, which ran from September 25-28 in the Panamanian capital, featured local brands Zunilda Gutiérrez, San Maló, Art N Tela, Michelle Nassar, Breebart, Daniela Arias, Casa Marciscano, Ofelia, Catherine Maruxa, Valar, and Catherine Rodríguez. Event founder and director Marie Claire Fontaine praised the “extraordinary progress” of the local fashion scene in recent years. Editors of national and regional editions of Vogue, Glamour and L’Officiel were among those to fly in to see the local talent as well as brands from the wider Latin American region such as Abel López from Mexico, Blesk by Paula Recalde from Ecuador, Bodhi from Venezuela, Hrstka from Guatemala, and Colombian designers Atelier Crump and Faride Ramos. [Graciela Martin for BoF]

🇯🇵 Japanese giant Toray partners with Sri Lanka’s Mas Holdings for India. The Tokyo-based multinational maker of chemical products and advanced materials, including fibres, textiles and resins, has entered into a joint venture with Colombo-based Mas Holdings, one of South Asia’s largest apparel manufacturers. The new partnership, called Toray MAS Apparel India, aims to enhance the two companies’ supply chain capabilities within and for the fast-growing Indian market, such as the establishment of a new manufacturing facility at the MAS Apparel Park Bhuinpur in Odisha, India, expected to commence operations in 2026. [WTIN]

🇦🇪 Major Dubai jeweller slashes Indian imports amid soaring gold prices. UAE-based Bafleh Jewellery, one of the largest importers of Indian jewellery in the Middle East, said import volumes are down 30 percent in the first eight months of the financial year, as gold prices surged from around $2,200-2,500 per ounce to $3,600 within just three months. “People cannot afford it anymore. We’re thinking gold might even reach $4,000,” said managing director Ramesh Vora. [Economic Times]

🇨🇲 Cameroon’s textile and apparel exports rise to $106 million in 2024. Exports rose 4 percent to 59.4 billion Central African CFA francs, marking the highest level since 2019, even as the sector continues to struggle in the domestic market. The Industrial Cotton Company of Cameroon (Cicam), the country’s unrivalled domestic player before 2000, now holds only 5 percent of market share, following the influx of cheap Chinese imports and the surge in secondhand clothes from the west via other African countries. [Kohan Textile Journal]

🇹🇿 Tanzania courts Omani investors to develop textiles sector. According to Tanzanian government minister Gerald Mweli, the country exports around 80 percent of its raw cotton unprocessed despite being one of Africa’s leading producers. “By establishing textile factories, investors from Oman can help close this gap, boost youth employment, and reduce the country’s dependence on fabric imports,” he said, during a delegation visit from Oman. [Daily News Tanzania]

🇮🇳 Tennis star Sania Mirza joins Indian activewear brand Boldfit as investor. The Bengaluru-based sports brand said that the Indian retired professional tennis player has joined the company as an investor, without disclosing details about the deal. Mirza will also collaborate in the development of a range of rackets and paddles. [Economic Times]

🇨🇳 China’s textile and fashion exports ease marginally in Jan–Aug 2025. Exports of textiles, garments and accessories reached $197.274 billion over the first eight months of the year, down less than 0.2 percent from $197.615 billion last year. Garment exports fell 1.7 per cent to $102.761 billion but textile exports rose 1.6 percent to $94.513 billion in the period. [Fibre2Fashion]

🇵🇰 Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports rise 7.4 percent in 2025 financial year. Annual exports from the South Asian nation increased to $17.8 billion, with the knitwear and ready-made garment categories posting double-digit growth and cotton yarn and fabric categories declining. [Fibre2Fashion]