Ogun monarch opens Adire hub to strengthen local textile industry

The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, has opened an Adire Hub at Ake Palace in Abeokuta, placing the traditional Nigerian textile at the centre of a new effort to expand local production.

Global Adire Egba Development Limited established the hub with ICLED Business School in Lekki, Lagos. The facility will train producers, develop their skills and expose them to financing options. Organisers describe it as part of the proposed Adire Village project.

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Adire Hub is a part of the proposed Adire Village. The hub right now is to educate and upskill the Adire producers so that they can partake in the domestic and international market.

Prof. Olajumoke Familoni, the project coordinator and president and provost of ICLED Business School, said producers needed support before they could compete effectively in international markets. “Adire Hub is a part of the proposed Adire Village. The hub right now is to educate and upskill the Adire producers so that they can partake in the domestic and international market,” she said.

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We are also embarking on this initiative to fight imitation and importation of adulterated Adire fabrics from outside the country.

Familoni said Nigeria’s Adire market was worth more than $1 billion and that the African Continental Free Trade Area offered access to about 1.4 billion consumers. She also said the initiative would fight the importation of adulterated Adire fabrics by helping buyers identify local and authentic products.

She acknowledged that the industry remained largely local and had not yet reached the standard needed for international acceptance. Familoni called for government intervention funds, saying the investment would benefit producers, Abeokuta and Ogun State’s revenue. The Alake and community members, including men more than 70 years old, had already invested in the initiative, she said.

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We are calling on the government to give us intervention funds.