Threads, Hides & Compounds: Pakistan's Industrial Exports Ready for Africa's Growing Markets

Pakistan's textile industry is the backbone of the national economy — generating over 60% of export earnings, employing tens of millions of workers, and producing a remarkable range of products from raw cotton to finished garments. Alongside textiles, Pakistan's leather and chemicals sectors represent sophisticated, internationally competitive industries that have long served European, American, and Middle Eastern markets. Now, Africa beckons as the next great export destination.

This session, led by industry veterans Shijaat Ali, Junaid ur Rehman, Zubair Tufail, and Manzoor ul Haq, will make the case for a systematic, strategic expansion of Pakistani textile, leather, and chemical exports into SADC and broader African markets — and outline the practical steps needed to make that expansion a reality.

Pakistan's Textile Industry: Scale and Sophistication

Pakistan's textile sector is one of the world's largest, with an installed base of over 9 million spindles, 114,000 rotors, and a weaving capacity of 400,000 looms. The industry produces cotton yarn, fabric, home textiles (bed linen, towels, curtains), ready-made garments, and technical textiles. Pakistani textile manufacturers have achieved GSP+ status with the EU, demonstrating compliance with international quality, labour, and environmental standards.

For Africa, Pakistani textiles offer several compelling advantages: competitive per-unit costs, a wide range of quality tiers (from economy to premium), short customisation lead times, and established global supply chain infrastructure that can be redirected toward African ports. African fashion retailers, hospitality chains, healthcare institutions, and governments procuring uniforms and workwear are natural customers.

The Leather Advantage

Pakistan is the world's 5th largest leather producer, with a deeply integrated leather value chain stretching from livestock rearing through tanning, finishing, and manufacturing of leather goods including footwear, gloves, garments, and saddlery. Pakistani leather goods are exported to markets with strict quality requirements — the same standards apply to products destined for Africa.

• Pakistan produces over 51 million hides and skins annually, the raw material base for world-class leather goods
• Pakistani sports gloves and leather garments are already exported to over 70 countries
• Sialkot's leather cluster is internationally certified and equipped for large-volume, custom-specification orders
• Leather footwear manufactured in Pakistan offers price points below Chinese alternatives while matching quality standards

Chemicals: The Industrial Enabler

Pakistan's chemical sector — producing industrial chemicals, dyestuffs, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals intermediaries, and specialty chemicals — is a critical industrial enabler for African manufacturers. As African manufacturing expands, demand for high-quality, affordable industrial chemicals will surge. Pakistani chemical producers, with competitive raw material access and established quality systems, are positioned to become preferred suppliers.

Of particular relevance to the SADC region are Pakistani agrochemicals — fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides — which can directly support Africa's agricultural productivity agenda. Pakistani chemical firms have the technical capability to formulate products specifically for African soil conditions, crop varieties, and regulatory requirements.

Building the Trade Route: From Karachi to Cape Town

The session will also address the logistical architecture of Pakistan-Africa trade in physical goods — shipping routes, port agreements, customs procedures, and the role of Pakistani trade associations in supporting member companies entering African markets. The mediator, Mehmood Arshad, will help synthesise the commercial insights of the panellists into a coherent action agenda for the Pakistan-Africa textiles, leather, and chemicals trade corridor.

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