China-Africa trade has essentially come to a halt due to the worsening COVID-19 outbreak around the world, adding new pressure on small business owners across Africa who make a living selling imported Chinese goods. Now with inventories running low, shopowners are wondering how they’re going to replenish stock, with everything from toys to tech items stuck back in China where fewer than half the country’s factories are up and running again.
The supply constraints are also adversely impacting shoppers who have become accustomed to the easy availability of affordable Chinese consumer goods. With supplies of a huge range of products now running increasingly low, prices are rising fast.
