Turkish firm to make investment to breathe life into Nigerian textile industry

Kaduna, Nigeria, once a textile boom city, having factories that churned out African prints, bed linens, lace and fabrics to decorate homes due to soaring production cost, power shortage and foreign imports, resulting in seven of its 10 textile companies to close down and several people unemployed. Their fortunes could change after a Turkish company announced plans to invest $15 million to reopen one of the factories.

A Turkish company plans to invest millions to reactivate the collapsed Kaduna Textile factory that was once a giant in Nigeria’s massive textile industry during the 80s, said the New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) after a meeting with the Turkish business delegation at the NNDC’s head office in Kaduna.

The delegation had earlier inspected the site of the firm and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, both at the Kakuri Industrial Layout in Kaduna.
The Group Managing Director, Dr. Ahmed Musa said that the NNDC and the Turkish firm would invest the amount in revitalising the Kaduna Textile.

According to the proposal, the Turkish firm will provide 35 percent of the amount, the Federal Government 45 percent and KTL will give 20 percent of the funds.

The Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL) would produce uniform needs for the Nigerian Armed Forces as well as the Police and other paramilitary agencies in the country, and across the West Africa subregion.

Revamping the KTL would boost the economy of Kaduna state and create employment opportunities to the unemployed youths within and outside the state.

The KTL was established in 1957, operated a large integrated textile mill, producing various kinds of garments. The company, currently in a state of comatose, started operation in November 1957, spinning country’s cotton and later in January 1958, went into full production of unbleached grey bafts.

In 1961, it began the production of finished garments. The firm was financed by the Northern Nigeria regional Marketing Board and the region’s development corporation and was managed by an expatriate firm, David Whitehead & Sons. It was closed down in 2000 following various financial crises and inadequate power supply.