According to the Ministry of the Economy’s report, Cameroonian economic operators spent CFA23.6 billion on imported secondhand clothing during the first 10 months of 2022. This represents a decline of 16.4% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

The amount spent between January and October 2022 allowed the acquisition of 48,191 tons of clothes, shoes, bags, and other second-hand items, we learned. This volume is also down 12.2% compared to that imported over the same period in 2021.

The Minister does not explain the reasons for this decline, but the war in Ukraine and the disruption of supply channels worldwide could be blamed. The drop in used clothes’ imports helped improve Cameroon’s trade deficit by CFA462 billion during the period under review. There were also declines in the purchase of clinker (-38.8%), soaps and detergents (-25.0%), wines and spirits (-17.1%), and transport equipment (-6.8%), among others.

Source: Business in Cameroon