Africa's Leather Sector
Africa is fast emerging as one of the future markets for sourcing quality leather and hides for the booming global leather industry. Leather and leather products are among the most widely traded and universally used commodities in the world.
Africa's abundance of livestock represents a natural strength for the sector, as leather is a by-product of the meat industry. Africa has about 15 per cent of the world's cattle population, a percentage that grew by about a quarter over the last decade, overtaking the global trend. Similarly, Africa possesses about 25 per cent of the world’s sheep and goat population. This puts African at the centre of the booming leather industry as a key supplier of hides and raw materials to the growing industry of leather and leather goods.