The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a resurgence plan to rejuvenate the country’s cotton, textile, and apparel industry, in collaboration with development partners and the private sector.
This initiative, revealed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, aims to breathe new life into a sector that once thrived as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s manufacturing industry.
Speaking on the ministry’s achievements over the past year, Uzoka-Anite highlighted that approximately $3.5 billion in investments have been secured to revitalize the moribund textile sector.
The minister stated the broad scope of the textile industry, which spans the entire clothing value chain in Nigeria, from cotton production to apparel manufacturing. This revival plan is expected to generate significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labor across the country.
“The Ministry is developing a resurgence plan for Nigeria’s cotton, textile, and apparel industry in partnership with development partners and private sector players. We have attracted $3.5 billion to unlock the textile, cotton, and apparel industry,” Uzoka-Anite stated.
“Nigeria’s textile and apparel industry covers the entire clothing value chain and has strong growth potential due to the availability of cotton and the country’s market size.”
The textile industry, once a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy, saw its peak in the 1970s and 1980s with around 180 textile mills employing over one million Nigerians. Notable companies during this golden era included United Nigerian Textile Limited, Aswani Textile, Afprint, Asaba Textile Mills, and Edo Textile Mills.
However, the sector began to decline in the 1990s, plagued by issues such as rampant smuggling, unchecked importation, erratic power supply, inconsistent government policies, and increasing insecurity. These challenges rendered the local textile companies uncompetitive, leading to their eventual collapse.
