Plastic markets in major countries in Eastern Africa

(China-Africa Trade Research Center) Africa has become a key player in the international plastics and packaging industry, and African countries have high demand for plastic products. As Africa's demand for plastics and plastics processing machinery grows steadily, the African plastics industry is experiencing rapid growth and is considered one of the fastest growing markets for plastics and plastics machinery.

Explain the plastics market in major countries in East Africa

The economic recovery of African countries, the market demographic dividend of more than 1.1 billion, and the huge long-term growth potential make the continent a priority investment market for many international plastics and plastics machinery companies. These plastic branches with huge investment opportunities include plastic production. Mechanical (PME), plastic products and resin (PMR) fields.

As expected, the growing African economy is spurring the growth of the African plastics industry. According to industry reports, the use of plastics in Africa increased by an astonishing 150% during the six years from 2005 to 2010, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 8.7%. During this period, African plastic imports increased by 23% to 41%, and the growth potential was huge. As a very important branch of the African plastics industry, East Africa currently dominates the plastics and plastics machinery market in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Consumer demand for plastic products in Kenya is growing at an average rate of 10-20% per year. Imports of plastic materials and resins in Kenya have grown steadily over the past two years. Analysts believe that in the next few years, as the Kenyan business community begins to build manufacturing plants in the country by importing machinery and raw materials to strengthen the country's manufacturing base to meet the growing demand for plastic products in the East African market, Kenya's plastic products And the demand for plastic machinery will grow further.

Kenya’s position as a regional business and distribution centre for sub-Saharan Africa will further help Kenya to promote its growing plastics industry.

As a landlocked country, Uganda imports a large number of plastic products from regional and international markets and has become a major importer of plastics in East Africa. It is reported that Uganda's main imported products include plastic molded furniture, plastic household items, ropes, plastic shoes, PVC pipes / fittings / electrical accessories, pipes and drainage systems, plastic building materials, toothbrushes and plastic household products.

Uganda’s commercial centre, Kampala, has become the center of its plastics industry as more and more manufacturing companies are established in and around the city to meet Uganda’s growing plastics such as plastic household utensils, plastic bags and toothbrushes. demand.

In East Africa, one of the largest markets for plastic products is Tanzania. In the past few years, the number of plastic and plastic machinery imported from around the world has increased and has become a lucrative market for plastic products in the region.

Plastic imports in Tanzania include plastic consumer goods, plastic writing instruments, ropes and wraps, plastic and metal frames, plastic filters, plastic biomedical products, plastic kitchen utensils, plastic gifts and other plastic products.

Ethiopia is also a major importer of plastics and plastics machinery in East Africa. Ethiopian traders and wholesalers have been importing a wide range of plastics and machinery, including plastic molds, GI tubes, plastic film molds, kitchen plastic products, plastic pipes and fittings. The huge market size makes Ethiopia an attractive market for the African plastics industry.

According to the China-Africa Trade Research Center, despite the introduction of the “Forbidden Plastic Order” and the “plastic limit order”, the consumption demand and import demand for plastic packaging materials such as plastic bags in the East African countries have been forced to cool, but in East African countries, such as plastic pipes, Imports of other plastic products and plastic machinery such as plastic household items continue to grow