Growing up in Malawi, “Made in China” suggested something cheap, something temporary, something that might break sooner than expected. If a product was Made in China, it was often viewed as an inferior alternative to goods from Europe, America, or Japan. The label became a shorthand for low quality.
Justin Onwenu is running for Michigan State Senate District 1, covering Detroit, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, and Wyandotte. I first knew Justin through Detroit’s entrepreneurship and economic opportunity ecosystem, particularly because the Detroit Tech Residency Fellowship I am part of falls under his jurisdiction in the City of Detroit.
Thank you so much for voting for me as the Most Inspiring Business Female Leader at the 2026 Consumer Choice Awards.
UNIDO’s 2025 Africa industrial statistics factsheet reports that, in 2024, Africa accounted for 3.2 percent of global GDP and only 2.0 percent of global manufacturing value added.