Nigerian govt wants its textile sector to be top in Africa

13 Feb '13

2 min read

The Federal Government of Nigeria is aiming to revive the country’s textile and garment sector and make it number one in Africa and among the top ten textile sectors in the world, said Mr. Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Trade and Investment.

Speaking at the stakeholders retreat on cotton, textile and garment (CTG) sub-sector of the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) in Abuja, he said the ministry is working with the stakeholders of textile and clothing sector to address the current problems faced by them.

According to him, the ministry is trying to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development in the textile and apparel sector through NIRP.

He said continued efforts will be made to revitalize the textile and clothing sector as it is a major source of income and employment in the country.

The Minister informed that according to the figures of the Manufactures Association of Nigeria, the capacity utilization of the textile and garment sector has increased significantly from 29.14 percent in 2010 to 49.70 percent in 2011.

The Nigerian textile and apparel sector should upgrade itself from being a raw material exporter to an exporter of clothing, he added.

He urged the Nigerian Government to increase the fund allocated to the textile industry from N100 billion to N500 billion for textile companies to boost their capacity utilization.

Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Mr. Samuel Ortom said the Nigerian Government aims to create 60,000 more jobs in textile sector and increase the share of the industry in the domestic market from the existing 12 percent to 25 percent by 2020.

Expressing concern over the current situation of the textile industry, he said currently the nation’s textile industry is struggling to sustain 24,000 employees working in 25 functional mills.

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