Africa rising from Guangzhou and Yiwu to Timbuktu: empowering Market Women

There is a new trading route stretching from Guangzhou (Guangdong Province) and Yiwu (Zhejiang Province) to the historic Saharan city of Timbuktu in Mali that is empowering African Market Women.

These were once legendary. In a continent better known for its male traditions, African Market Women once held a primary position in the economy of their communities. The most famous were the Makola Women of Ghana.

With the economic decline in most of sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980's, Market Women seemed to have lost their place; however, thanks to Sino-African trade, they are back in force.

Much has been written on Sino–African relations, but the discourse hardly mentions women's role. However, on a typical flight between many African cities and Guangzhou or Yiwu, one can find scores of women, mainly from Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania.

They're an amazing breed. They don't usually have much formal education. They hardly speak any Mandarin or, indeed, much English or French. They probably haven't heard of the WTO and wouldn't be interested, anyway. Yet, in the grand old tradition of African Market Women, they are a highly sophisticated class of traders that redefine the "supply chain" in trade.

Whatever their age, the women travel the Sino-African Silk Road armed with dollars and yuan, and, of course, calculators and mobile phones. They understand the complex nuances of exchange rates, and can tell you all about cargo freight costs and clearance procedures.

With their brightly-colored clothes and large and intricate headscarves, they stand out as icons of international trade at the grassroots level and have a profound impact on Sino-African trade.

Traditionally, such women traded in foodstuffs and clothing. They were not a typical merchant class. Very few ventured into the sophisticated world of imports. They did not travel to countries far away for trade. Typically, they bought and sold goods in their local markets. However, things have changed.

In the past, most imports into Sub-Saharan Africa came from Europe and the United States. Language and educational barriers and complex visa requirements made it virtually impossible, or even unthinkable, for the average market woman to venture into major world trade centers. Guangzhou and Yiwu have changed all this and freed these women from the cultural, social, and economic barriers that formerly restricted them.

Unofficially, China is helping to breed a new type of African Market Women. Its Open Door policy,with liberal visa regulations, enables traders to enter the country easily. Guangzhou and Yiwu are the two most popular places for African traders. By some estimates, these two cities welcome close to 20,000 Sub-Saharan Africans annually.

In Guangzhou, the concentration is in the Sanyuanli (三元里), Xiaobei (小北) and Foshan (佛山) districts. On any day, in any of these districts, it is common to see hundreds of African women doing brisk business alongside male counterparts. Trade has become the great equalizer.

In spite of language barriers and obvious cultural differences, our new Market Women thrive in China. Between them and their Chinese traders, there is one shared element and common motivation: commercial profit.

These Market Women appear comfortable because both Africa and China have a culture of bargaining and haggling underpinned by informality in the rough and tumble market place. Unlike what they might encounter in Europe and America, Chinese markets provide the perfect environment for them.

Some of the women are routine travelers to China and have regular Chinese suppliers, while other go to seek new opportunities. Almost all are wholesalers of goods ranging from toys, disposable items and clothing to furniture. From Accra to Timbuktu, the women have a complex network of eager retailers, mostly women, waiting for them to return home.

The Guangzhou-Africa trade value chain has three related elements: airfreight of wholesale export and shipping, usually through Dubai; container wholesale shipping distribution by sea; and retail distribution at home. The new Market Women are involved in all these elements.

What is remarkable is that, increasingly, African traders are partnering with Chinese counterparts to run factories and warehouses and to provide logistics in the Chinese value chain in China. African Market Women are joining their male counterparts in developing these new partnerships.

Africa's trading relationship with China has not been without questions. In some respects, cheaper goods from China have contributed to deindustrialize some sub-Saharan African countries whose infant industries could not compete with Chinese imports.

In the complex world of globalization this is to be expected. The good news is that trade with China is also creating new opportunities. Africa has a new type of Market Women who are helping to bring home cheaper goods and creating further opportunities in the supply chain.

Professor Sam Blay is a senior Australian law academic. He is currently Professor and Deputy Principal, Top Education Institute in Sydney and Professor at the Sydney City School of Law. He is a member of the South China International Economic Arbitration and Trade.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.