Adjusting to Chinese ascendancy in the global clothing industry : dimensions, variations, sources and limits of post-MFA stabilisation in African clothing exports; final technical report (20 March 2010 to 30 September 2012)

Political stability emerged as a crucial precondition for participation in some clothing industry markets. China’s rise is important to African producers, but China is only part of Africa’s post-MFA story. The Multi-fibre Arrangement (MFA) governed world trade in textiles from 1974-2005. Firms in this study’s countries compete with those from a number of countries other than China in specific markets. Moreover, it is clear that internal conditions moderate the effects of global markets. Favourable macroeconomic and industrial policies have contributed to export stabilization during the post MFA period, but policies alone do not seem to be enough. Other conditions require examination