Sub-Saharan Africa: Apparel Case Study

Stacey and Cornelia prepared an apparel sector case study that was published as Chapter 7 (p. 209-244) in a World Bank book on FDI, sub-Saharan Africa, and local spillovers across industries. The chapter is a summary of our  detailed background paper on FDI and GVCs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Understanding the Factors that Contribute to Integration and Spillovers in the Apparel Sector.  We interviewed over 30 stakeholders in Kenya, Swaziland, and Lesotho and conducted secondary analysis on FDI and apparel trends. The research findings show that all FDI is not equal in terms of providing opportunities for local upgrading, and that the potential for functional upgrading is often limited in foreign-owned firms.

This led to a project with the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2012 on the Challenges and Opportunities to Private Sector Development in Lesotho: Clothing & Textile Value Chains (Mike Morris, Staritz and Frederick). Results of the research were also published in Cotton Africa Magazine. Nairobi, Kenya in 2012 in Foreign Direct Investment and Local Spillovers in the Apparel Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (Staritz, Tom Farole, and Frederick).