N2bn Akwete fund can spark Nigeria’s textile revival if backed by reforms – Expert

The N2 billion intervention announced by Oluremi Tinubu Nigeria’s First Lady for the Akwete Weaving Centre in Abia State could become a catalyst for the revival of Nigeria’s once-thriving textile industry if accompanied by sustained policy reforms and institutional support, Omowumi Adesuyi, founder and chief executive officer of Naija Fabric Hub said.

 

 

In a commentary released following the First Lady’s visit to the historic weaving community, Adesuyi described the intervention as a significant first step towards preserving one of Nigeria’s oldest indigenous textile traditions while creating new opportunities for local manufacturing, employment and exports.

 

He, however, cautioned that the funding alone would not reverse decades of decline in the country’s textile industry without complementary investments in production, market access, intellectual property protection and local content policies, noting that the intervention represented an important commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s cultural and industrial heritage.

 

 

“When the First Lady stood in Akwete and announced N2 billion for the town’s weaving centre, she recognised that the craft is a sacred tradition that should not be desecrated,” Adesuyi said

 

 

He observed that while Nigeria spends an estimated $6 billion annually importing textiles, the N2 billion allocation should be viewed as a strategic starting point rather than a complete solution.

 

“Against that flood, N2 billion is a raindrop. But raindrops are how rivers start. And Akwete is the right place to start,” he said.

 

Adesuyi recalled that Nigeria’s textile industry was once among Africa’s strongest, employing more than 500,000 workers directly across 167 textile mills during the 1980s and accounting for nearly a quarter of manufacturing employment.

 

However, he noted that the sector suffered years of decline due to policy inconsistencies, factory closures and the collapse of cotton production. Between 1994 and 2005, about 64 per cent of registered textile companies shut down, while employment fell sharply. Cotton production also dropped dramatically over the past two decades, leaving Nigeria increasingly dependent on imported textile products.

 

He argued that Akwete offers a unique opportunity because its centuries-old weaving tradition survived outside the industrial supply chain that collapsed elsewhere in the country.

 

According to him, the weaving community has maintained an uninterrupted tradition of passing skills from one generation to another, with women remaining central to both production and marketing.

 

He commended the First Lady for personally visiting the community instead of relying solely on official briefings.

 

“She went to Akwete herself, sat with the weavers, listened, and committed real money. That is what leadership on cultural heritage looks like,” Adesuyi said.

 

The Naija Fabric Hub chief executive also highlighted the growing commercial opportunities for indigenous fabrics, citing increasing global demand for authentic African fashion and Nigeria’s large diaspora market as key drivers of future growth.

 

He said Nigerian consumers abroad continue to seek genuine handwoven fabrics such as Aso Oke and Akwete for cultural ceremonies, with many able to distinguish authentic locally woven textiles from machine-made imitations.

 

According to him, authenticity remains a valuable commercial advantage for Nigerian producers.

 

“Handwoven Akwete competes with mass-produced cloth the way single-malt whisky competes with grain alcohol. The threat is not global competition; it is counterfeiting,” he said.

 

Adesuyi identified geographical indication protection as one of the most urgent reforms needed to protect indigenous fabrics from imitation products and preserve their premium value in international markets.

 

He also called for stronger public procurement policies requiring government institutions to prioritise locally produced fabrics for uniforms and official use, arguing that predictable demand would encourage investment across the textile value chain.

 

Other recommendations included expanding production capacity through reliable yarn supply and quality certification systems, improving export infrastructure to help local producers access international markets, and replicating the Akwete model across other traditional textile clusters, including Adire in Ogun State, Aso Oke in the South-West, Okene cloth in Kogi State and Ukara in Cross River State.

 

Despite welcoming the intervention, Adesuyi warned against repeating past policy failures.

 

He noted that previous textile revival initiatives were undermined by poor implementation, adding that taxes collected to support domestic textile production had not always reached manufacturers as intended.

 

He therefore urged the Abia State Government to ensure transparency in implementing the intervention by publishing disbursement schedules, audited project outcomes and data showing improvements in weavers’ incomes.

 

“The First Lady has done her part, and done it well. The follow-through now belongs to Abia State and to the rest of us,” he said.

 

Adesuyi expressed optimism that, with sustained reforms and effective implementation, the Akwete initiative could become a model for rebuilding Nigeria’s textile industry while preserving indigenous craftsmanship and creating jobs across the country’s creative and manufacturing sectors.