Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, has disclosed that the country currently spends about $6 billion annually on textile imports, emphasising the need to revive the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) sector to conserve foreign exchange and generate employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The minister spoke at the completion ceremony for phase 1 of the National CTG Industrial Transformation Programme in Abuja.
He said the development had continued to exert pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves while undermining domestic manufacturing capacity.
He also expressed concern over the near-collapse of the country’s cotton industry, disclosing that national production plunged dramatically from about 2.5 million metric tons in 2001 to 10,000 metric tons in 2025.
His remarks came amid renewed efforts by the current administration to revive the struggling textile industry.
Enoh described the decline as a major threat to the country’s industrial base and economic diversification ambitions.
He stressed that the federal government is currently prioritising the revival of the cotton, textile and garment value chain to reduce import dependence, conserve foreign exchange, and create jobs.
Enoh said, “In 2001, the production of cotton in Nigeria was about 2,500,000 by 2000. Last year, it had gone down to about 10,000.”
He linked the renewed intervention to the federal government’s broader industrialisation strategy following the launch of Nigeria’s industrial policy earlier this year.
He said, “We just launched the Nigerian industrial policy in February, and we want to go beyond the launching of that policy.
“I think that getting here in itself was informed by the enormous potential of this sector. We just launched the Nigerian industrial policy in February, and we want to go beyond the launching of that policy.
However, despite the sector’s decline, Enoh said the pilot programme had shown that local production could still be revived within a short period if properly supported.
He said, “The panel that we are showcasing today… has indicated that within six, seven months, you can plant cotton, you can get a garment out of it.”
The minister further claimed that locally produced garments from the programme were outperforming imported products in quality and pricing.
According to him, “The fact that we now, from local cotton and the T-shirts that have been produced, both in terms of the quality, in terms of quantity, in terms of pricing, are better than foreign-made T-shirts.”
He disclosed that a new strategic policy framework for the cotton, textile and garment sector would be unveiled between June and July 2026 to provide regulatory direction and attract investment into the industry.
In his remarks, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, pledged financial support for cotton farmers and other players across the value chain.
He said, “I can make a pledge that the Bank of Agriculture is very much willing to support primary production… the main feedstock, which is cotton.”
He stressed that the country still possesses the resources needed to rebuild the industry.
He said, “We have the raw materials here. We can grow cotton. We also have the manpower. We have the expertise. And at some point, we were one of the largest producers of garments in Africa.”
James Emejo and Mariam Adedokun
