Nigeria aims at being a global player in the textile and apparel sectors and attaining self-sufficiency in cotton production. The country is working towards making its cotton, textile and garment sector create more than two million jobs and reduce the cost of textile imports by 2020. By achieving that, Nigeria hopes to safeguard and earn foreign exchange and ultimately accelerate industrial development by making Nigeria a global player in the textile and apparel sectors. Action is being taken to grow, develop and revive the sector so that it generates enhanced revenue and transforms Nigeria’s rural economy. Necessary mechanisms are being put in place to ensure use of high yielding varieties that will produce top quality fabrics and those that can compete in the international market.

In the 1970s and early ’80s, Nigeria was home to Africa’s largest textile industry, with over 180 textile mills in operation, which employed close to over 4,50,000 people and contributed over 25 per cent of the workforce in the manufacturing sector. Today, most factories have stopped operations, as only 25 textile factories are operating today, at below 20 per cent of their production capacity, and the workforce in Nigeria’s textile industry stands at less than 20,000 people.