Second Hand products in Africa……………Good or Bad

The influx of second hand vehicles, clothes, electrical appliances and other products to Africa is on an alarming increase from both the developed countries and emerging markets. These goods have been to some extent the saviour to impoverished or marginalised people of Africa as they cannot afford a brand new product due to its costliness. The USA, Britain, Germany, China Japan and others are the biggest importers of second hand goods to Africa. The question to be asked in all this is How developmental or detrimental are these imports to African countries and economies?

Second hand imports have created much of formal but to a greater extent informal employment to a continent that suffers from a high level of unemployment and poverty. Governments in Africa have been failing to map viable policies that will tackle unemployment problems and thus the ordinary but innovative people have taken the opportunity to fend for themselves through second hand imports. Informal sectors have been ignored by most governments but in true aspect they are a bedrock for most struggling African economies and they have contributed to the growth of economies despite them not paying taxes to the government.  Governments might not benefit from any tax remissions from informal traders but they benefit from the import duties that are generated from the second hand products. Some governments are against the second hand imports and thus ban or charge high import duties so as to protect their industries and promote high production in their own economies. The high import charges are much beneficial to governments as they will channel them to local production. City councils are not to be left out as they benefit from letting out space to vendors of second hand goods.

On the contrary the African continent has become so desperate for second hand imports thus stifling its own local production which will affect the overall GDP of the nation. Much is being imported with a less life of use and thus making Africa to keep paying as the goods will only be having a short limited lifespan. Africa has become a dumpsite for the developed countries and to worsen the situation the continent has no expertise or idea on how to deal with the second hand products after their use is done. We do not have any recycling plants for these products especially machines, cars and electrical gadgets if they become obsolete.

The continent is endowed with natural materials and also produces raw materials but we don’t have any processing factories for these raw materials which are then processed in developed countries used there, after productive use they are dumped to Africa. We need to have plants that process the raw materials we produce and resources we have into finished products boost local production, improve the standard of living of the African people, create employment, provide liquidity for our economies thus boosting our own economies.  

Africa has a serious dependence syndrome that needs to be uprooted from our minds for our economies to grow. India banned most second hand imports and now their economy is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We have to adopt a mind that is self-reliant, independent but closely knit with each African economy. This will create positive ripple effect in all economies within the continent as we will be supporting each other. It’s time for Africa to be proud of its products boost its own production and take advantage of the innovative minds that are within but lacking support and a spring board to launch themselves and the continent to higher levels of competence and economic  efficiency.