Nigeria’s growing fashion industry but none existent Textile Mills by Akeem Obe

Every Nigerian wants to look good. From having the latest clothes, shoes, to getting nice makeup done, an average Nigerian wants it all. In a country with a population of about 180 million, the opportunities in Nigeria’s clothing industry are simply endless.

Fashion designers now abound everywhere in Nigeria. Most of these fashion designers are young people who have obtained university degrees from various prestigious universities within and outside Nigeria. Most have learnt the trade from nearby tailors during endless strike by Nigerian universities, or during the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps for post-secondary school graduates. They have become fashion designers despite having degrees in engineering, literature, education, and many others. With the country’s high unemployment rate (roughly 30%), these young people are going for their passion, and absolutely nothing can stop them.

Armed with measuring tape, sewing machine, and scissors, these young fashion designers are ready to capture the world with their latest designs. With their mix of western and African styles, they are ready to reach heights previously deemed unattainable by old-school fashion designers. They no longer dream of working in a hospitals or engineering firms, all they want to do now is own and operate fashion houses across the length and breadth of Nigeria.

With the incredible growth in the industry, comes a disconnect in the entire value chain. Most of the textile materials used by these fashion designers are imported from China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, even though it can be made locally. The main raw material, cotton used to be planted and harvested in the vast arable land present in Northern Nigeria, but this ceased after the government switched gear from agriculture to oil for its revenue. There were about 180 functional textile mills in the 1980s, and they were responsible for providing jobs for about a million people, but the number soon turned to zero due to pressure from unfavorable operating environment (power, infrastructure, and government policies). Also, huge hectares of cotton farms that employed large number of youths used to exist, but this is no longer the case at present

There has been an increased effort by successive government to resuscitate Nigeria’s dying textile industry, through the injection of much-needed funds, but little progress has been made thus far. In order to reduce Nigeria’s high unemployment rate, the new government must provide an enabling environment for the textile industry to thrive. An increased investment in power infrastructure and subsidy for cotton farmers will go a long way in ensuring that the entire value chain is strictly made in Nigeria, and thus save us a lot of foreign exchange dollars through the importation of textile. By so doing, the enormous growth recorded in the Nigeria’s clothing industry, can have a positive impact on Nigeria’s economy through the creation of jobs for all.

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