Plans are underway by the Federal Government to establish textile clusters in Lagos and Aba to reposition the cities as regional powerhouses for garment manufacturing and export, Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, has said.

A statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Strategic Communications to the Minister, Ifeoma Williams, added that an agro-processing hub where cassava will be turned into ethanol and starch will also debut in Kano.

He said: “Agro-processing hubs in Kano, turning cassava into ethanol and starch while powering thousands of new jobs, will be established. Textile clusters in Aba and Lagos, poised to reposition both cities as regional powerhouses for garment manufacturing and export, while a pharmaceutical production enclave in Ogun State will come on, which is aimed at securing Nigeria’s medicine supply chains and drastically cutting import dependency.”

In an address to stakeholders at the 16th National Council on Industry, Trade and Investment (NCITI) in Lagos, the Minister insisted that there is no time for pilot programmes or policy lip service.

“We are entering an era of full-scale industrialisation—where every investment, every reform, every decision must drive us toward a globally competitive, inclusive, and innovation-led economy,” Enoh noted.

He urged the private sector and sub-national governments to embrace this momentum with both hands, declaring that the IRWG offers an unprecedented opportunity to convert Nigeria’s vast potential into measurable industrial might.

The Minister also disclosed that the Federal Government is dismantling barriers to trade and investment through its Industrial Revolution Work Group (IRWG) initiative.

Enoh argued that Nigeria’s economic transformation hinges squarely on the bold agenda of the IRWG, which is a cross-sectoral initiative inaugurated in February this year.

Speaking to a high-level audience comprising federal and state officials, captains of industry, and development partners, Enoh described the IRWG as a strategic engine room designed to dismantle legacy barriers, ignite real sector productivity, and position Nigeria as a continental powerhouse of value-added manufacturing.

He called on all stakeholders to move from rhetoric to results by aligning with the IRWG to unlock financing for MSMEs, activate dormant industrial zones, and build thriving, employment-generating clusters across the federation.

The 16th session of the Council, held under the theme ‘Accelerating Diversification by Leveraging Industry, Trade and Investment for Shared Prosperity’, reviewed a total of 75 memoranda, including 40 information items and 30 actionable recommendations, which marks a significant step toward a more implementation-focused industrial agenda.

Addressing the plenary, the Minister of State explained that the Council is not just another policy gathering, but a clarion call to transform ambition into action, adding: “We stand on the edge of a new industrial dawn. The time to act is not tomorrow, it is now.”

Enoh outlined the five foundational pillars of the IRWG, which include financing and investment transformation; energy and infrastructure modernisation; regulatory reforms and ease of doing business; product standards and market expansion; human capital development; and Industrial Innovation.

He added that these thematic areas are no longer theoretical constructs, but real-world levers already being activated nationwide. (The Guardian)