The Second-hand Clothes Trade in The Gambia

Author(s): Simone Field, Hazel Barrett, Angela Browne and Roy May
Source: Geography, Vol. 81, No. 4 (October 1996), pp. 371-374
Published by: Geographical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40546273
Accessed: 25-09-2017 15:59 UTC

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 Women in coastal Ghana, where they are the
principal produce traders, argue that recent
5 The Second-hand GEOGRAPHY

increases in transport charges have substantially THIS CHANGING

affected their profits. On the Jos Plateau in Clothes Trade in The WORLD
northern Nigeria, women in off-road settlements
face a growing burden, because off-road markets
are gradually disappearing, and they must now Gambia
take on the additional task of carrying their
husbands' agricultural produce to the roadside.
This restricts time available for journeys to the
roadside for other purposes, including visits to BY SOME ESTIMATES, one-third or more peopleGeography
in 01996
heath facilities. The elderly and infirm face similar sub-Saharan Africa now wear imported used
problems. Such difficulties are widespread in West clothing (Hansen, 1995). Although this trade has a
Africa. long history, it has quadrupled in scale world-wide
over the last decade. There is abundant evidence
to support this, as a visit to any African market
Conclusion testifies. World exports of used clothing originate
primarily in Western Europe and the United States.
From these destinations, millions of dollars worth
Road density in West Africa is low, evenofinused clothes are shipped each year to Third
World countries, especially Africa, and the former
comparison with other parts of sub-Saharan Africa,
Eastern Bloc.
and walking has always been the principal
transport mode. Nonetheless, the widespread While import of used clothing has taken place
for some time in sub-Saharan Africa, it has grown
decline in transport services and the increasing
cost of fares which have accompanied SAPs enormously
are* in complexity and scale since the
major issues. Recent initiatives, sponsored second
by half of the 1980s. Among major African
importers, second-hand clothing frequently
institutions such as the ILO and the World Bank,
are attempting to speed up research into roadaccounts for over one-third of all garments
maintenance and intermediate transport purchased. This is in part a result of the changing
nature of the international trading environment.
technology in countries such as Ghana, where
The recent Uruguay Round of multilateral trade
there is now some evidence of improvement in
negotiations culminated in the replacement of the
road maintenance. However, the overall picture is
less satisfactory. Women, in particular, face General
a Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
with an extension of the institutional framework
growing burden in an already over-burdened day,
for trade through the World Hade Organisation
especially when, as vehicular services decline, they
are expected to 'headload' produce to markets and (WTO). Through the WTO, developing countries
collection points. have been faced with increased pressure from the
North to liberalise their economies, while at the
same time industrialised countries pursue
increasingly protectionist measures against
References Sensitive* industries in the South. As a result,
African economies have become increasingly
Anyinam, C. (1994) 'Spatial implications of structural vulnerable to imports from the North, especially
adjustment programmes in Ghana', Tijdschrifl voor Sensitive' imports such as textiles and clothing,
Economische en Sociale Geografie, 85, 5, pp. 446-60. while industrialised countries have failed to open
Filani, M. (1993) Transport and rural development in their markets to manufactured goods from Africa.
Nigeria', Journal of Transport Geography, 1, 4, pp. 248- The supply chain for second-hand clothing
54.
originates in the North, where the public donate
Porter, G. (1995) "The impact of road construction on
women's trade in rural Nigeria', Journal of Transport
their used and out-of-fashion clothes to charity,
Geography, 3, 1, pp. 3-14. church groups or to private voluntary
organisations for recycling. These collecting
agencies sell the clothes to textile recyclers/bale
brokers who sort and grade them in large factories,
either for industrial uses or for the second-hand
Gina Porter clothing market (Hansen, 1995). As Table 1 shows,
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM sub-Saharan Africa has a much higher proportion 371
of 'used clothing' in its share of textile imports

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 Table 1
GEOGRAPHY
Regional differences in the relative importance of used clothing imports, developing
THIS CHANGING countries 1980
WORLD
Quantity share of textile Sub-Saharan Africa Asia North Africa and Latin America
imports (by weight) Middle East

Used clothing 33.8 10.8 7.3 1.8

Fabric 60.0 83.0 52.7 67.9
New garments 6.2 6.2 40.0 30.3

Total 100 100 100 100

Geography ©1996

Source: UN trade tape in Haggblade, 1990.

whole procedure is highly organised and co-

ordinated to facilitate seasonal fluctuations in
demand and supply patterns. The bales are then
shipped overseas to African destinations, such as
Banjul port, where importers collect them from
customs and pay the import and duty tax. Through
various distribution mechanisms the bales are sent
to warehouses on the periphery of Banjul market
where they are sold by the kilogram to local
traders, who resell them to consumers. Thus by
the time they end up in the market, second-hand
clothes have passed through three or four
suppliers in the distribution chain. In addition, an
Fig. 1. The Gambia: total imports of used clothing between
important supplier is the Red Cross. The
1989-90 and 1993-94. International Red Cross sends donated clothes to
Source: Statistics Unit (1994). Gambian Red Cross Centres. These clothes are
sold to traders in order to finance development
projects and provide food aid.
In The Gambia there are 15 to 20 wholesale
than any other Third World region. Recent
research by the authors in The Gambia has traders in Albert Market, Banjul, and over 50
confirmed this trend and identified the major wholesale traders in the largest urban centre,
features of this process. Figure 1 illustrates the Serrekunda. Each of these traders supplies clothes
to between 5 and 15 local traders who sell the
total imports of used clothing in The Gambia
between 1989-90 and 1993-94. goods on their market stalls (Fig. 2). The largest
importer and trading company is Salina K. Jaiteh
and Sons Enterprise Ltd, based in Albert Market,
Banjul, which supplies second-hand clothes to
Second-hand clothing in traders throughout The Gambia. These clothes
The Gambia make their way to every market in the country and
even over the border to Senegal.
Gambian clothing traders do not iron or alter
the clothes in any way but sell them in the
Traders in Banjul, the capital and major port of The
Gambia, order their second-hand merchandise condition in which they come from the bales. This
is because Gambian consumers prefer to buy
from factories in Europe, requesting the garments
and fabric they believe will sell most readilyclothes
at which they know have originated in the
different times of year (Haggblade, 1990). In the West, not those previously worn and donated by
supply countries the clothes are graded and sortedthe Gambian elite. The main users of second-
hand clothes are men and children, for whom
into similar articles, such as men's trousers, cotton
western-style
short-sleeved shirts or baby clothes. Similar articles clothing is considered appropriate.
are then tightly compressed into bales of 45-65kg Women in general wear traditional dress, and
372 with a reference code attached to inform supplierstherefore there is a smaller market for women's
and purchasers of the contents of the bale. This clothes.

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 Impacts development. The second-hand clothing imports
GEOGRAPHY
flooding the domestic market are reducing
consumer demand for new clothes. It may be THIS CHANGING
On local industry
argued that this will hamper the development of WORLD
The Gambia has not yet developed a strong
the Gambian textile industry.
domestic textile industry. The few textile and
garment manufacturers that do exist produce
specialised textiles, such as batiks for the tourist On consumers
market, and protective clothing, such as police and The trade in second-hand clothes has many
army uniforms. This lack of a domestic textile positive benefits for Gambian consumers. The
industry legitimises the increasing importation of most important advantage is that used clothing is
Geography Ê 1996
second-hand goods. In addition, because the within the purchasing power of poorer urban
textile industry is in the early stages of households, where the average daily income is
development, it is unorganised and lacks theabout 15 dalasis (approximately £1). However, in
power to put pressure on the government tomany rural households the monetary income
would be far below this. A second-hand shirt, for
legislate against these imports. As a result of this,
direct competition does not occur between the example, costs 10-15 dalasis, whereas a new shirt
Gambian textile industry and the second-hand costs 100-150 dalasis. Many urban consumers also
prefer European and US fashion to traditional
clothes trade. Instead, very fierce competition
exists between the second-hand clothes traders in African dress, perceiving the former as a sign of
what has become a very contested market. status and prestige. The tourist industry has
However, the development of a domestic heightened awareness of Western fashions, and
textile industry is potentially very important for high
the status goods, such as brand names and
designer labels, are in great demand, for example,
Gambian economy. The textile industry is a labour-
intensive, low-cost industry with simple Reebok trainers. In addition, second-hand clothes
technology which requires little investment. Asare a perceived to be of a higher quality than clothes
result, the development of this industry can beproduced by local seamstresses and tailors.
seen as the first step on the ladder to industrial It may, however, be argued that the influx of

373

Fig. 2. Second-hand clothes being sold in Serrekunda market. Photo: Hazel Barrett.

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 clothes.
second-hand clothing undermines traditional The trade in second-hand clothes is
dress
GEOGRAPHY
codes. Hansen (1995) has studied the socio- unlikely to decrease while consumer demand is s
THIS CHANGING cultural effects of such trends and provides ahigh. As this study has shown, all indications poin
WORLD contrasting analysis. She maintains that, ratherto increased growth in what has become a highly
than 'westernising' Africans, the second-handlucrative trade.
clothing is 'Africanised' as a result of what people
have made with it and of it, investing it with African
and divesting it of Western cultural meaning References
(Hansen, 1995).
Statistics Unit (1994) 1993/94 Annual Trade Review of The
Geography 01996 On the economy Gambia, Banjul: Ministry of Trade, Industry and
Most wholesalers dealing in second-hand clothing Employment.
employ 3-4 employees, including a senior manager,Haggblade, S. (1990) 'The flip side of fashion: used clothing
manager, accountant and assistant, as well as exports to the Third World', Journal of Development
providing goods to the numerous local traders. Studies, 29, 3, pp. 505-20.
The trade, therefore, has created a great number ofHansen, K.T. (1995) 'Transnational biographies and local
meanings: used clothing practices in Lusaka', Journal of
jobs in the business and retail sectors. However, as
Southern African Studies, 21,1, pp. 131-4
has been discussed above, it could be argued that
this trade is inhibiting the development of a local Simone Field, Hazel Barrett, Angela
textile industry. Browne and Roy May
In addition, this trade helps to strengthen the COVENTRY UNIVERSITY
capital accumulation of the indigenous
bourgeoisie, while satisfying the demand of poor
people for clothing. It also complements the
Gambian economic ethos for trade, and channels
funds to the government through the customs and
tax duties which it brings in.

Conclusion 6. Migration and Aids

The trade in second-hand clothes is clearly an in West Africa
increasingly important trend in The Gambia, as in
the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. However, not all
Third World countries accept imports of second-
IN FRANCE THERE are concerns with population
hand clothes. For example, India has banned this
and its problems at official, academic and popular
trade, while South Africa and Zimbabwe bannedlevels, and provisions for population study which
commercial imports of used clothes for a short
far exceed those in the UK. Among them is the
period in 1992 after labour unions put pressureCentre
on Francais sur la Population et le
the government. However, even if it was thoughtDéveloppement, concerned primarily with
overseas francophone countries. Its more recent
desirable, this is not an option for smaller African
economies like The Gambia, which have notstudies
yet are on women's education and the care of
developed a strong domestic textile industry, a
children in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on health
planning and structural adjustment in Cameroon,
powerftjl unionised labour force or a high quality,
low-cost, indigenous clothing industry. and a review of migration and the human
Together with the recent changes in immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in West Africa on
international trade legislation, the economic which this note is based (Lalou and Piché, 1994).
reforms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Much has been written on the relationships
and World Bank through Structural Adjustmentbetween migration and Aids but this study has
Programmes (SAPs) have further exacerbated attempted a synthesis for a major sub-continental
pressures for African countries to liberalise their
region.
economies, allowing the second-hand clothes West Africa contributes markedly to the total
of those infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
trade greater access to their markets. In addition,
the purchasing power of most low-income people and who may develop Aids (Barnett and Blaikie,
has fallen under SAP Therefore, these consumers1992; Cliff and Smallman-Raynor, 1992). The
374 buy fewer luxury items and seek cheaper outletsdisease may be less prevalent than in Central, East
for their purchases, including second-hand and South Central Africa, but in West Africa two

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