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Tafric request data as of November 3, 2026
In October 2026, Tafric recorded 2,350 published sourcing requests from African buyers in 35 countries, 80% more than the 1,307 recorded in September 2026. Nigeria was the largest source of requests (436) and clothing and fashion the most requested sector (519). African buyers also sent 412 product messages directly to Turkish sellers from product pages, up from 149 in September. This report shows what African importers looked to source from Türkiye in October, by country, sector and product type.
Key figures
| Indicator | October 2026 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Published African buyer requests | 2,350 | 1,307 |
| African countries with requests | 35 | 29 |
| Growth vs September | +80% | – |
| Product messages from African buyers | 412 | 149 |
| Top country | Nigeria (436) | DR Congo (176) |
| Top sector | Clothing and fashion (519) | Clothing and fashion (325) |
Tafric's data starts on 4 August 2026, so this is a snapshot of one month compared with the previous one, not a long-term trend.
Which African countries posted the most requests?
Five countries accounted for 64% of October requests: Nigeria, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Senegal. DR Congo, which led in September, came a close second to Nigeria.
| Country | October 2026 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 436 | 165 | +164% |
| DR Congo | 406 | 176 | +131% |
| Zimbabwe | 227 | 107 | +112% |
| Cameroon | 221 | 111 | +99% |
| Senegal | 212 | 128 | +66% |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 152 | 43 | +253% |
| Benin | 129 | 73 | +77% |
| Kenya | 111 | 58 | +91% |
| Ghana | 99 | 30 | +230% |
| Tanzania | 63 | 43 | +47% |
Within the top 10, Côte d'Ivoire (43 to 152) and Ghana (30 to 99) grew fastest, and Uganda rose from 15 to 40. Not every market grew: South Africa fell from 47 to 10 and Zambia from 27 to 17, while Morocco (38) and Algeria (34) stayed close to their September levels. The growth was concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, above all in West and Central Africa.
For country detail, see what buyers in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya import from Türkiye.
French-speaking and English-speaking markets
The 10 French-speaking countries in the top 20 (DR Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Gabon, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso) posted 1,249 requests in October, 53% of the total. The 8 English-speaking countries (Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and South Africa) posted 1,003, or 43%. Morocco and Algeria together added 72. Cameroon is bilingual; we counted it with the French-speaking group.
What did African buyers source from Türkiye?
| Sector | October 2026 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing and fashion | 519 | 325 | +60% |
| Medical and healthcare products | 248 | 133 | +86% |
| Furniture | 235 | 86 | +173% |
| Industrial machinery | 213 | 73 | +192% |
| Heating, cooling and ventilation | 211 | 28 | +654% |
| Cosmetics | 124 | 76 | +63% |
| Baby products | 112 | 20 | +460% |
| Food products | 101 | 75 | +35% |
| Construction and building materials | 90 | 76 | +18% |
| Automotive and vehicles | 85 | 59 | +44% |
Clothing and fashion remained the largest sector by a wide margin, with 22% of all requests. The fastest-growing sectors were heating, cooling and ventilation (28 to 211), baby products (20 to 112), industrial machinery (73 to 213) and furniture (86 to 235). Home textiles rose from 10 to 43. Two sectors declined: agricultural machinery (64 to 29) and electrical and electronic products (71 to 47).
Two notes help read these changes. First, these figures show the buyers who reached Tafric, not the whole African market; Tafric's reach in Africa widened in October, especially in furniture, cold rooms, food processing machinery and baby clothing, and part of the jump in those sectors comes from that wider reach. Second, requests posted in the wrong category are corrected during moderation, and at the end of October the previous 30 days were reviewed in bulk (for example, plastic bottle requests were moved from packaging to plastic products). Most September requests fall outside that review, so some shifts between sectors, such as in electrical and electronic products, reflect reclassification rather than a change in demand.
Top product types
| Product type | Sector | October 2026 requests |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing (general) | Clothing and fashion | 234 |
| Home furniture | Furniture | 193 |
| Cooling systems (cold rooms, freezers) | Heating, cooling and ventilation | 174 |
| Modest clothing | Clothing and fashion | 138 |
| Food processing machinery | Industrial machinery | 97 |
| Baby and kids clothing | Baby products | 88 |
| Medical equipment and devices | Medical and healthcare | 67 |
| Laboratory materials and equipment | Medical and healthcare | 62 |
| Plastic products | Plastic and rubber | 53 |
| Jeans and denim wear | Clothing and fashion | 53 |
Cooling systems stand out: 63 of the 174 requests came from Nigeria, and cold rooms, blast freezers and cold storage for frozen food appear repeatedly among the requests. In furniture, buyers asked for sofa sets, dining sets and bedroom sets for hotels. Food processing machinery requests included drying machines, oil presses and flour mills, including small production lines. In healthcare, medical devices (67) and laboratory equipment (62) were almost level, with requests such as patient monitors, colour Doppler ultrasound and chemistry analysers.
Our buyer's guides cover these products in detail: cold rooms from Turkey, furniture from Turkey, food processing machines and baby and kids clothes wholesale.
What the largest markets asked for
| Country | October requests | Top sectors | Top product type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 436 | Clothing (73), cooling (67), furniture (56), medical (55) | Cooling systems (63) |
| DR Congo | 406 | Clothing (102), machinery (51), furniture (40) | Clothing (58) |
| Cameroon | 221 | Clothing (36), machinery (29), cosmetics (22) | Clothing (21) |
| Senegal | 212 | Clothing (66), cosmetics (26), food (17) | Clothing (28), modest clothing (20) |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 152 | Clothing (30), machinery (19), furniture (17), baby (14) | Clothing (13), home furniture (13) |
| Kenya | 111 | Clothing (23), medical (21), cooling (15) | Cooling systems (14) |
| Ghana | 99 | Furniture (19), clothing (19), medical (16) | Home furniture (14) |
Clothing is at or near the top in every one of these countries. The second sector is where markets differ: cooling in Nigeria and Kenya, machinery in DR Congo, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, cosmetics in Senegal, and furniture and medical products in Ghana.
Open requests right now
Product messages: buyers write to sellers directly
African buyers are not only posting requests; more of them now message a seller directly from a product page. Tafric recorded 412 product messages in October 2026, up from 149 in September (+177%). Furniture received 147 and clothing and fashion 116, together almost two-thirds of all messages, followed by construction (33), food (23), medical (23), electrical and electronic (21) and cosmetics (20). The most active countries were Nigeria (71), Zimbabwe (51), DR Congo (41), Senegal (40) and Cameroon (32).
Messages tend to follow the products on display. Industrial machinery had 213 requests in October but only 4 product messages, and cooling had 211 requests and 11 messages, most likely because fewer of these products are listed so far. In those sectors, posting a request is the faster way to reach the right manufacturers.
What this means for African buyers
1) You are not alone: buyers from 35 African countries used Tafric in October to reach Turkish manufacturers without travelling. 2) Be specific. Requests that state the product, quantity, size or capacity, and destination port are easier for a factory to answer. 3) For ready-made goods such as furniture and clothing, browse the products from Turkish manufacturers and message the seller directly. 4) For equipment such as cold rooms or food processing lines, describe your project in a request so that specialised manufacturers can contact you with technical questions. 5) Compare suppliers on the same basis (price delivered to your port, lead time, samples) before you pay. Our guide on how to buy goods from Turkey without travelling explains the steps.
Methodology
All figures are Tafric platform data. Requests: sourcing requests from African countries posted between 1 and 31 October 2026 (Istanbul time) that passed moderation and are published. September figures were counted the same way (1–30 September, published requests). Sector and product type are the category on each request at the time of counting. Product messages are messages sent by buyers in African countries to sellers from product pages; senders who wrote to more than 10 companies were excluded to filter out bulk messaging. October had 31 days, September 30. No personal data or buyer names are shared. A Turkish-language dataset of the last 30 days by country and sector is available at https://tafric.com/data/firsat-radari.csv
Post a free request on Tafric
On Tafric you describe what you need once: product, quantity, specifications and destination. Posting is free. Turkish manufacturers in that sector see your request and contact you directly. Post your free request or browse open requests from African buyers to see what others are sourcing.
Frequently asked questions
What does Africa import from Turkey?
On Tafric in October 2026, African buyers most often requested clothing and fashion (519 requests), medical and healthcare products (248), furniture (235), industrial machinery (213) and heating, cooling and ventilation equipment (211). The most requested product types were general clothing (234), home furniture (193) and cooling systems such as cold rooms (174).
Which African countries post the most requests on Tafric?
In October 2026, the most requests on Tafric came from Nigeria (436), DR Congo (406), Zimbabwe (227), Cameroon (221) and Senegal (212). These five countries accounted for 64% of the 2,350 requests from 35 African countries.
How many African buyer requests did Tafric record in October 2026?
Tafric recorded 2,350 published buyer requests from 35 African countries between 1 and 31 October 2026 (Istanbul time), compared with 1,307 from 29 countries in September 2026, an increase of 80%.
Which sectors grew fastest in October 2026?
Compared with September, the fastest-growing sectors on Tafric were heating, cooling and ventilation (28 to 211 requests), baby products (20 to 112), industrial machinery (73 to 213) and furniture (86 to 235). The data covers only two full months, and some shifts reflect category corrections during moderation.
Is it free for African buyers to post a request on Tafric?
Yes. Posting a sourcing request on Tafric is free. Turkish manufacturers in the relevant sector see the request and contact the buyer directly. Buyers can also message sellers from product pages; Tafric recorded 412 such product messages in October 2026.
Do African buyers on Tafric write in English or French?
Both. In October 2026, 53% of requests came from French-speaking countries such as DR Congo, Cameroon, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, and 43% from English-speaking countries such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ghana.