FG initiates plan to restore growth in textile and apparel industry

The Nigerian government is crafting a revival strategy for the cotton, textile, and apparel industry, collaborating with development partners and the private sector. Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, highlighted this initiative during a review of the ministry’s annual activities.

She revealed that approximately $3.5 billion in investments have been secured to rejuvenate the struggling sector over the past year. Uzoka-Anite emphasized that the textile industry spans the entire clothing value chain in Nigeria and that investment in this sector will create jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers nationwide.

Uzoka-Anite stated, “The Ministry is developing a resurgence plan for the Nigeria cotton, textile, and apparel industry in collaboration with development partners and private sector stakeholders. We have attracted $3.5 billion to revitalize the textile, cotton, and apparel industry.”

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She further noted that Nigeria’s textile and apparel industry, which encompasses the entire clothing value chain, holds significant growth potential due to the availability of cotton and the large domestic market. This industry is a major contributor to the manufacturing sector, with vast potential for employment, export earnings, and foreign direct investment, thereby reducing poverty.

Despite Nigeria’s substantial market potential for cotton production, the textile industry has faced challenges over the years. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria was an industrial hub for textile production, boasting around 180 textile mills and employing over one million people. Key players included United Nigerian Textile Limited, Aswani Textile, Afprint, Asaba Textile Mills, and Edo Textile Mills.

However, by the 1990s, the industry declined significantly, with many companies closing due to rampant smuggling, unchecked imports, erratic power supply, unpredictable government policies, and growing insecurity, which made them uncompetitive. The new resurgence plan aims to address these issues and restore the industry’s former glory.