It's great to see the hand-dyed cloth industry persevering in Mali. Local textile industries in many Sub-Saharan countries such as Zambia and Uganda have suffered as cheap imported textiles flood the market. Locally produced products simply can't compete with Chinese manufactured goods in the same market. Despite the economic downturn, China's influence in Africa continues to grow for better or worse. A figure from a recent article in the Economist estimated that 1 million Chinese farm laborers will be working in Africa this year. In Zambia, Chinese farms produce a quarter of the eggs sold in the city market.
While China's investing a lot in Africa hungry for the continent's rich natural resources and farmland amongst other things, many Africans are losing their jobs to foreign workers and cheaper goods and services. Foreign investment is a positive sign, yet there are lots of road bumps ahead. For one, the Chinese and other foreign investors could begin hiring and training more locals and new trade agreement to limit Chinese imports to protect local industries would probably be a good idea.
Mrs Sanata Coulibaly, Coulibaly textile workshop, Uolofobougou, Bamako, Mali
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