Nigerian craftsmen have urged the government to boost buy their handmade fabrics and export them to the world.

In 2017, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, filling in for the president, had ordered the government to prioritize products made in Nigeria when buying uniforms and footwear. John Adaji, President, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, urged the government to expand this policy.

Nigeria has been producing traditional, handmade, beautiful fabric designs for centuries. But preservers of the ancient art say modern manufacturing and cheap Chinese imports threaten this way of life. Kano’s Kofar Mata dye pit is one of the last surviving hand-coloring textile makers in Nigeria. Over the years, the workers at the pit have become fewer and fewer due to reduced patronage.

Hamma Kwajaffa, Director General, Nigerian Textile Manufacturers’ Association, blames the decline in locally made fabrics on Chinese imports, which he says are often smuggled into the country. 

Nigeria’s Central Bank said last month that it has provided cotton producers with more than $300 million in loans in recent years to support the domestic textile industry, once Africa’s largest.