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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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As African consumers and demand have grown steadily over the past few years, Africa has become an attractive market for global export-oriented trading companies and manufacturers. According to the statistics of African import and export, the following five rankings of the best-selling list of African imports are listed below.
If you are targeting the African buyers in new and emerging African markets, here is a list of 5 major African imports based on current Africa import and export statistics:
1.Computers And Other IT Products
Africa has one of the highest rates of growth in the market for IT products worldwide. As a result, multi-national manufacturers have concentrated their efforts on the market, producing in great quantities items specifically targeting the African market.
South Africa’s computer market for instance is valued at more than $1 billion. One of the factors behind the growth in the sector is the fact that many organizations are changing from the traditional desktops to the more personal and portable laptops and ultra-books. Furthermore, the rapid pace at which innovations are being introduced to the sector and the inversely proportional price reductions have also boosted demand.
2.Automobile Spare Parts
Most of the African buyers are buying substantial quantities of automotive batteries, tyres, spare parts, ball bearings, water pumps and a host of automobile spare parts from overseas markets for selling them at a profit in their own countries.
In addition to automobile spare parts, a major import to many African countries in recent years has been tyres, batteries and lubricants.
3.Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare is a big concern with a majority of Africans who are unable to afford Pharma imports Africaexpensive medical care. Moreover, there is a huge gap in the demand and supply chain as African does not have any major bulk manufacturers of pharmaceuticals.
Pharmaceutical products constitute a big bulk of Indian exports to Africa. This is largely due to the fact that India has emerged as one of the world’s biggest manufacturing hubs for generic drugs India's pharmaceuticals trade with Africa is worth over $17 billion annually.
4.Mobile Phones
The African mobile revolution has taken the world by storm with the continent having the second biggest market for mobile devices after China.
For the past five years, the annual rate at which the number of mobile users increases has been about 65%. This makes Africa the ideal market for international traders looking to secure viable export opportunities in Africa.
Nigeria is once again the continent's leader in the mobile handset market followed closely by South Africa. However, even in less developed war-torn countries like Somalia the mobile telecoms industry continues to thrive.
5.Stationery
Enterprising traders have found a large market for stationery items in Africa. This rise in demand has been a result of the increased number of academic institutions and the importance African attach to education. Since there is a shortage in the manufacturing capabilities for these products, the demand for stationery in Africa is being met by overseas companies.