An Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa's Textile and Apparel Industries.

Abstract

A study was undertaken to determine the competitive nature of the sub-Saharan African countries specifically: South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, Lesotho, and Madagascar. These countries' textile and apparel industries were examined with Michael Porter's Competitive Advantage of Nations theory model (1990) to assess the level of competitiveness. Using the Porter model along with an index adapted from Hunger and Wheelen's industry matrix (2001), it was determined that South Africa and Mauritius possess a certain level of competitiveness in their respective textile and apparel industries. To date, Kenya, Lesotho, and Madagascar have little or no competitiveness in their textile and apparel industries.