Lobby groups in the United Kingdom like Fashion Revolution, and other non-governmental organisations, have accused that dumping of second-hand clothes by West in East Africa has ruined its local manufacturers. According to estimates, almost 80 percent of used clothes donated by U K residents end up in second-hand markets in Africa every year. Ghana is the largest market, followed by Benin and Kenya.
The UK NGOs argue that in spite of the revenue generated by the imports of second-hand clothes by way of customs duties and creation of jobs, it hits the local manufacturers who cannot compete with the imports. Second-hand clothes in Kenya costs approximately five and 10 percent of a new garment by local textile factories. Kenya which had about 110 large-scale garment manufacturers in early 1990s had just 15, according to Fashion Revolution by 2016. In 2016, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda increased tariffs on imported used clothes in a bid to boost their local textile industries and eventually phase out second-hand apparel. However, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda had to revoke their stand after threats by the United States to review their African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) status.
