Key Points
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Nigeria’s textile industry revival taps into a huge import‑replacement opportunity.
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Competing globally demands productivity, value‑chain integration and strong brands.
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Infrastructure and policy reforms are critical to unlocking Nigeria’s textile potential.
Nigeria used to have a booming textile industry, with factories buzzing, cotton fields feeding mills, and whole towns built around weaving and making clothes. That legacy faded in the last few decades as imports flooded the market and mills shut down. There are now signs that the industry is coming back to life. But the big question still stands: can Nigeria’s textile industry compete with the rest of the world?
The textile industry in Nigeria is starting to pick up again
Nigeria’s textile imports in 2024 were about ₦726.18 billion, which is almost 298% more than the ₦182.53 billion they were in 2020. The push to bring back the industry is also being driven by the flood of cheap fabrics and clothes. The government has made changes in the Cotton, Textile, and Garment (CTG) sector to encourage local production and attract investments in new factories and modern machinery. Local manufacturers are growing their businesses and making fabrics and clothes that are popular in the local market.
Nigeria’s big home market and access to raw materials like cotton give local businesses a foothold. Nigeria has a chance to become a sourcing hub for West Africa now that global brands are rethinking their supply chains and moving away from traditional hubs.
The textile industry in Nigeria is still facing tough competition from around the world
The road ahead is bumpy, even though it looks good. Infrastructure is still a big problem. Electricity is unreliable, transportation and logistics networks are weak, and it costs a lot of money to import goods. Local manufacturers have a hard time competing with huge imports, especially from China, which sells more and cheaper fabrics than local companies.
The textile industry in Nigeria is still not very productive, and the country’s cotton yields are lower than those of other countries. Recent economic data shows that the sector’s contribution to GDP fell from ₦1.332 trillion in 2020 to ₦1.224 trillion in 2024, which is about 1.63 percent of total GDP. Nigeria’s industry needs to add value if it wants to compete on a global scale. It can’t just make cloth; it needs to cut, sew, brand, and export finished clothes of the highest quality.
To compete on the world stage, Nigeria’s textile industry needs to change
What does that mean for Nigeria? The industry is starting to wake up, but being competitive on a global scale is a whole other story. To win, you need to make fabrics that can be exported, have strong local brands, a well-connected supply chain, good infrastructure, and a skilled workforce. Nigeria has a large domestic market, which gives it a head start, but to really compete on the world stage, it needs to move up the value chain. Nigeria could become a major textile centre in the region if policy, investment, and brand building all work together. The “reawakening” may stay a nice story instead of a global reality if those changes aren’t made.
Nigeria wants to be a part of global textile value chains, and the next step is clear: modernise, process, brand, and export. For a country that used to have a lot of textile jobs and mills, the revival could bring back more than just cloth. It could also bring back jobs, pride in industry, and leadership in the region. But it’s not clear where the finish line is. It is still unclear if Nigeria’s textile industry can really compete with other countries.
