FG Targets 1.4m Jobs Annually Through Cotton Industry Revival

The federal government, in collaboration with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), has kickstarted the resuscitation of Nigeria’s cotton industry.

The target is to create over 1.4 million jobs annually in the cotton/textile sector. The focus is on developing key components of the cotton value chain, comprising farming, weaving, ginning, and linking cotton, all in line with the industrialisation drive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

This was the outcome of a meeting held on Tuesday between Vice President Kashim Shettima and a delegation from the ICAC led by its Executive Director, Mr Eric Trachtenberg, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking after remarks from the ICAC delegation and other participants at the meeting, Senator Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, urged stakeholders to come up with a roadmap for the revitalisation of the cotton/textile sector in Nigeria, noting that “it is time to work more and talk less”.

The Vice President assured that the Tinubu administration will make conscious efforts to ensure the country harnesses opportunities in the cotton value chain, including ensuring Nigeria regains its ICAC membership.

He thanked the delegation for the visit and acknowledged ICAC’s commitment to the sector’s development in Africa, noting that “your diverse backgrounds in ICAC give a nuanced understanding of the complexities and opportunities in the cotton value chain.”

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos said his state was well positioned to harness opportunities in the cotton value chain, given that it hosts the factories and the market and is a critical component of the business ecosystem for the cotton subsector.

He said Lagos, as an integral part of the cotton value chain in Nigeria, will support every effort by stakeholders to revamp the sector and enable the state to sustain its status as the largest fashion hub on the continent.

The Governor expressed excitement at the possibility and opportunity for resuscitating the cotton and textile sector, with a particular focus on job creation and economic transformation.

Governor Sanwo-Olu pledged the state’s readiness to offtake cotton produced in other parts of the country for companies based within the area.

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State said the meeting with the ICAC delegation is the beginning of Nigeria’s quest to revamp the textile industry as part of the broad objective of industrialising the economy.

He said Imo State and the Southeastern region will key into the renewed effort to revamp the cotton/textile sector in a bid to create jobs and support the country’s overall industrialization drive.

He said, “The opportunity created by the meeting is a new beginning in our quest for industrial recovery and creation of jobs for our teeming youths as well as an opportunity for a new partnership.”

In his remarks, Mr Trechtenberg said he was pleased with the level of interest and commitment shown by the leadership of the country and other stakeholders in reviving the industry in Nigeria.

Citing examples in China, India, Pakistan, and other parts of the world, the ICAC Executive Director said the potential in the cotton value chain was huge and has proven transformative.

He noted that cotton and textiles offer a competitive advantage and economic transformation and are very competitive products that can be sold domestically and internationally, with the probability of generating high-quality jobs for now and in the future.

He said the ICAC would support Nigeria’s cotton value chain revamp by offering expert advice on improving productivity, boosting the value chain, and facilitating investment.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji; the Director General, Budget Office, Dr Tanimu Yakubu; the Director General, of Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso; and the Director General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Dr Jummai Tutuwa were also present at the meeting.

Other members of the ICAC delegation included the Director of Textiles, Mr Usman Kanwar; Chief Scientist, Dr Keshav Kranthi; President of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria, Mr Anibe Achimugu; Vice President of Cotton Ginners Association, Abdulkarim Lawal Kaita, and representatives of significant textile and cotton producers in the country, among others.