MAN to revive ailing textile Industry calls for effective policy measures

The Nigerian textile and garment industry till date as seen no fewer than 145 cotton, textile and garment (CTG mills across the country collapsing. To revive the textile sub sector of the economy, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has called for policy measures saying that the plan by the federal government to create three million new jobs in the textile industry is an ambitious one which can only be actualized if there is a strong political commitment to the achievement of the objective.

MAN stated that the government will have to put effective measures to restore the sector which President Muhammadu Buhari has resolved to make a fulcrum of his job creation drive.

Figures from the MAN on the intervention fund revealed that capacity utilization in the sector increased only marginally. The institution of a N100 billion Intervention Fund for the industry by the immediate past government in 2010, an initiative managed by the Bank of Industry (BoI) did not do much to bring the CTG sub-sector back to its feet.

The textile industry, which used to be the second biggest employer of labour, has virtually collapsed, and that there are many factors responsible for the sorry state of the industry in the country some of which include the instability of power supply, high cost of production, competing cheap textile imports from Asian countries and the uncontrolled smuggling and dumping of sub-standard textile materials in the country, the minister of state for industry, trade and investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar cently said.

Sadly, very little has been done to address these problems and in spite of the huge potential of the sub-sector, especially with regard to the creation of jobs and the growth of the economy, there has not been much evidence of commitment to their actualization.