From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The Federal Government has unveiled plans for a complete overhaul of struggling textile assets in Kaduna and across the country, as part of efforts to restore Nigeria’s textile and garment industry to its former glory and generate mass employment.
This was announced in Kaduna during a stakeholder engagement on the National Cotton Textile and Garment Industrial Transformation Program by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
The Special Adviser on Cotton, Textile, and Garments to the Honorable Minister of State for Industry, Mrs. Eme Bassey, stated that the Ministry has developed a comprehensive roadmap that includes revitalizing strategic locations, with Kaduna’s Kakuri textile hub listed as a key asset.
“Certain specific locations, of course, Kaduna being included, have been identified as key assets that can be revitalized to restore the sector to its glory days, create mass employment, reduce imports, and promote exports,” Bassey said.
She noted that the revitalization will involve a complete overhaul of physical infrastructure at sites like Kakuri, which she said are currently dilapidated but remain strategically important to the sector.
Regarding incentives to attract private investment, Bassey explained that the Ministry is developing a new policy centered around fiscal, financial, skill, and regulatory measures. The 2015 policy is currently under revision and will be launched soon, along with an implementation roadmap.
“One of the key roles of government is to create a policy that enables interest which will naturally lead to domestic and international investment,” she said. “That policy includes multiple measures to make it easier for sector players, both new and existing, to engage actively, and to attract new investors to the sector.”
To improve raw material supply, Bassey emphasized that collaboration is essential in strengthening local cotton production. She stated that the Ministry is working with research institutions, development partners, and Federal and State agencies to address challenges in the cotton value chain and ensure quality and quantity to sustain the industry.
On financing, she revealed that the Ministry is in discussions with the Bank of Industry and the Bank of Agriculture to provide affordable financing and grants, especially for SMEs.
Financing is a critical factor for success. It is definitely being incorporated into our roadmap implementation,” she added. Bassey explained that the Transformation Program is a four-phase initiative. Phase one is complete; phase two focuses on policy, database, and institutions, while phase three will expand production, capacity, infrastructure, and finance.
She also mentioned that an existing task force is working to combat smuggling and counterfeit textile products, with ongoing dialogue and actions to protect the sector.
On the high cost of electricity, Bassey acknowledged it as a major challenge and said efforts are being made through gas utilization. “Gas is historically known to be a medium of reducing the cost of electricity for high-intensity production sectors like textiles,” she said.
Kaduna State Commissioner of Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, said the revival of the textile sector will directly benefit cotton farmers across the North who have been left redundant since the collapse of the industry.
“You know Kaduna is an agrarian state, and most of the cotton farmers have been redundant. This was an industry that mopped up whatever it is that they produce,” Dabo said. He added that farmers in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Gombe have the capacity to produce if the market is restored.
Dabo identified prohibitive energy costs as the main factor in the collapse of textile companies. He expressed optimism that the AKK natural gas pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kano will bring relief by providing cheaper, more efficient power to textile firms.
“Kaduna was practically like the Manchester of Nigeria. We were not only meeting the needs of Nigeria, but all West African countries were getting their textiles from largely Kaduna,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology, Malam Waheed Musa, said Kaduna remains the hub of textile industries in Northern Nigeria, with over 10 to 15 industries that have been closed down in recent years.
He said the engagement offers an opportunity for the Federal and State Governments to leverage on reviving the sector. “Thank God our Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has this in the pipeline, and with the coming in of the Ministry of Industry, we pray this will come very soon to revitalize the textile sector,” Musa said.
Musa called on private investors to take advantage of Kaduna’s ease of doing business policy, noting that the value chain of the textile sector is worth trillions and can create massive job opportunities.
“The machinery is there, there is a whole layout for the textile and garment industries in Kaduna State,” he said. He added that the state government is also working on its own power sector to address electricity challenges before the end of the year or the first quarter of next year.
Stakeholders at the meeting agreed that with coordinated policy, infrastructure upgrade, affordable energy, and financing, Nigeria’s textile and garment sector can once again become a hub in Africa for job creation, import substitution, and export promotion.
