Nigeria’s government has announced a major push to revive the country’s struggling textile industry, aiming to create up to 1.5 million jobs and reduce dependence on imported clothing.
Officials said Nigeria’s cotton production has collapsed by about 95% over the past two decades, crippling an industry that once employed hundreds of thousands of workers across factories and supply chains.
The government says a new pilot programme has already produced 10,000 locally made T-shirts using Nigerian-grown cotton, demonstrating what officials describe as a viable “farm-to-fashion” manufacturing model.
Authorities plan to expand financing for cotton farmers, strengthen links between growers, textile mills and garment makers, and position Nigeria as a stronger manufacturing player under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The move comes as African governments increasingly look to local manufacturing to tackle unemployment, reduce import dependence and build more resilient industrial economies amid global supply chain disruptions.