“One of Morocco’s rising star export products to the world are textiles and clothing,” said Chisanga, a member of the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development, in an opinion column published by Zambian media.
This sector is driving Morocco’s competitiveness and integration in the world economy which many African countries including Zambia are either recoiling from in horror or simply failing to join,” he wrote.
“Textiles and clothing are often perceived as a gateway to industrialization,” Chisanga added, noting that Morocco ranks number one in Africa in global exports of textiles and clothing products which accounts for 7% of its total.
While the liberalization of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) in 2005 in the World Trade Organization led to the expiry of quotas which negatively affected many African countries’ exports over the years, Morocco surprisingly maintained its forward-looking and growing trend, he observed.
According to the expert, the Zambian government will do well in this sector if it prioritizes the development of added value in terms of production, productivity and competitiveness of textile products by learning from countries like Morocco.
