Six govs pledge to revive Nigeria’s textile industry after Benin visit

Six Nigerian governors have pledged to revive their nation's struggling textile industry and strengthen domestic manufacturing after a visit to the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone in Benin. The governors joined Vice President Kashim Shettima on an inspection tour of the integrated industrial zone near Cotonou, an initiative by President Bola Tinubu's administration to establish agro-industrial processing hubs.

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Nigeria is on the verge of developing industrial processing zones across the federation.

The delegation, including governors from Imo, Zamfara, Plateau, Kwara, Katsina, and Jigawa states, observed how deliberate government policies, reliable infrastructure, and private sector investment at the GDIZ connect farmers with processors. They noted the zone's success in reducing raw commodity exports and creating jobs in agriculture and manufacturing.

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We have examined the cotton, cashew and soybean value chains. What we have seen has been a tremendous success, and we will take these lessons back to Nigeria as we implement our own projects.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who also chairs the Nigeria Governors' Forum, described the visit as an "African peer-learning mission." He stated that Nigeria is poised to develop its own industrial processing zones, drawing lessons from both the challenges and successes observed in Benin, similar to previous visits to Ethiopia. The governors examined cotton, cashew, and soybean value chains, deeming the GDIZ a "tremendous success."

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What we have seen here is very encouraging, both for us as a country and as a state.

Jigawa Governor Umar Namadi found the industrial zone particularly encouraging for his state's efforts to add value to agricultural production under Nigeria's Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones program. He believes adopting this concept will help industrialize Jigawa and create sustainable jobs. Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal recalled the state's once-thriving textile industry, where factories and ginneries employed thousands, expressing a desire to recapture that past glory.

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This takes me down memory lane because I grew up around this industry. My father was one of the owners of the Zamfara Textile Industry.