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Logo the World Cotton Day
The Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Forum (CTGDF), on Thursday revealed that no fewer than 180 textile factories that were operating in Nigeria some years back have now closed down.
It, however, called on the Federal Government to prevent what it described as “avoidable loss of Nigeria’s remaining cotton, ginning, textile and garment production assets”.
The coordinator of the forum, Anibe Achimugu, revealed this in a statement released to mark 2026 World Cotton Day.
The World Cotton Day is observed annually every 7th October under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 75/318.
Giving an insight to what made the textile factories to be closing down, Achimugu premised the cause on lack of operationalisation of the Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board (CTGDB).
He said, “The sector’s decline is already severe. Sector assessments indicate that about 180 textile factories have closed, national cotton output has fallen to approximately 13,000 metric tonnes and imports meet an estimated 90 per cent of domestic textile demand.
“These figures affect more than factory owners. They represent lost markets for farmers, fewer industrial jobs, weaker local economies, reduced tax revenue, greater import dependence and pressure on foreign exchange.”
Checks showed that the NEC at its 149th meeting on 24th April, 2025, endorsed the establishment of a Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board.
The NEC endorsed model is Presidency domiciled and private sector driven, with the inclusion of governors representing the six geopolitical zones, Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security; Budget and Economic Planning; Industry, Trade & Investment; as well as Finance Ministry.
The CTGD-Board will be funded principally through the Textile Import Levy collected by the Nigeria Customs Service, as was originally envisaged.
On March 5th, 2026, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation inaugurated a Steering Committee to settle the Board’s framework, mandate, composition, powers, income sources and implementation requirements.
However, months after, the Board is yet to kick off operations, with critical stakeholders calling on the President, Bola Tinubu not to allow the textile industry to die. (Daily Trust)
