By LUCY OGALUE

The Federal Government says it will unveil a new strategic policy framework for Nigeria’s cotton, textile and garment (CTG) sector between June and July as part of efforts to revive the industry.

Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the CTG Value Chain Activation Pilot Milestone Event.

Enoh said the policy framework would provide broad guidelines for the sector and attract both local and foreign investments into the CTG industry.

“The next phase of this pilot is that we are going to come up with a broad guideline and policy framework that will govern this sector.

“Between June and July, we will not just validate a new strategic policy, we are going to unveil it,” he said.

The minister said the CTG sector remained critical to the implementation of the Nigerian Industrial Policy inaugurated in February.

According to him, Nigeria’s cotton production declined from about 200,000 metric tonnes in 2001 to about 10,000 metric tonnes in 2025.

He, however, said the pilot initiative had demonstrated that cotton could be planted, processed and transformed into finished garments within six to seven months.

Enoh said the pilot also proved that locally-produced T-shirts made from Nigerian cotton were better in quality, pricing and quantity than imported alternatives.

“What this means is that there is really no reason to want to buy anything foreign in terms of T-shirts,” he said.

The minister said the government was determined to restore the glory days of the textile industry in line with President Bola Tinubu’s industrialisation agenda.

He said the pilot programme, involving operators across cotton production, textile manufacturing and garment production, would now move to a scale-up phase.

“We are on a sure mission and by the grace of God, we are going to deliver for the government and for the Nigerian people,” he said.

The Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Mr Ayo Sotinrin, said the bank had commenced plans to finance smallholder cotton farmers as part of efforts to support the revitalisation of the sector.

He said the federal government was also setting up a dedicated fund that would be channelled through the bank to support operators across the entire CTG value chain.

According to him, the bank would focus on financing improved seeds, fertiliser, crop protection and technology-driven farming systems.

Sotinrin said Nigeria could regain its position as one of Africa’s leading cotton producers through deliberate policies and strategic investments.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of HDI Group, Ms Olalade Adereye, said the pilot project succeeded because stakeholders adopted scientific approaches to cotton production.

Adereye, a cotton producer, said the project addressed longstanding challenges involving poor seed quality and inadequate soil analysis.

“We used the right seed, carried out soil analysis and planted based on the results we obtained. That is why we achieved good results,” she said.

She called for increased government support in irrigation, mechanisation and technology to enable the industry compete globally.

According to her, collaboration between government agencies, private investors and cotton producers was key to the success of the pilot initiative.

The Chief Executive Officer of Onchek Ltd., Chekwas Okafor, said the company began local textile production after its Lagos-based supplier could no longer meet rising demand for shirts.

He said the firm vertically integrated its operations in 2023 by producing both textiles and garments locally, enabling it to manufacture cheaper and higher-quality shirts than imported alternatives.

According to him, the company now produces about 8,000 shirts daily and has recently secured orders for 200,000 shirts, while creating jobs and reducing pressure on foreign exchange.

He said the company currently employed about 150 workers and planned to increase its workforce as production expanded.

The CEO commended the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment for supporting the CTG pilot initiative, adding that the programme was helping to demonstrate that globally competitive garments could be produced locally. (NAN)

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