The Nigerian Federal Government, in collaboration with development partners and the private sector, is developing a plan to revitalize the country's cotton, textile, and apparel industry.
According to Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, the plan aims to unlock the sector's potential and generate employment opportunities across the country.
Uzoka-Anite revealed that the ministry has secured approximately $3.5 billion in investments to rejuvenate the moribund sector. She emphasized that the textile industry encompasses the entire clothing value chain in Nigeria, highlighting its strong potential for growth due to the availability of cotton and the country's large market size.
The minister noted that the industry is a significant contributor to the manufacturing sector, with vast potential for employment and export earnings. The plan aims to reduce poverty by attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs for both skilled and unskilled labor.
Nigeria's textile industry has faced significant challenges over the years, including rampant smuggling, unchecked importation, erratic power supply, unpredictable government policies, and growing insecurity. This has rendered many textile companies uncompetitive and led to their decline.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria was a major industrial hub for textile production, boasting over 180 textile mills and employing more than one million Nigerians. However, by the 1990s most of these companies had disappeared.
