Nigeria’s textile imports climbed to N814.27 billion in the first nine months of 2025, raising concerns over the weakening of the local industry despite repeated government pledges to revive the sector. Experts say the rising importation highlights the country’s growing reliance on foreign fabrics.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed textile imports totaled N228.83 billion in the first quarter, N337.12 billion in the second quarter, and N248.32 billion in the third quarter, reaching a January–September total of N814.27 billion.

This figure represents a 47.43% increase from the N552.31 billion recorded during the same period in 2024. Industry stakeholders attributed the continued decline of local textile production to policy gaps, weak execution of credit initiatives, corruption, and ineffective government interventions.

They identified poor implementation of policy measures, limited access to affordable finance via the Bank of Industry (BOI), stalled institutional reforms, and structural challenges—such as weak cotton farming, insecurity, and limited domestic polyester production—as major drivers of the import surge.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association, Hamma Kwajaffa, said the rising import bill reflects the largely rhetorical nature of government revival policies.

Kwajaffa noted, “The increase in imports underscores the need for a textile levy. This fund was intended to boost domestic production, but instead, it is treated as general government revenue rather than being reinvested to strengthen local manufacturing.”

He explained that when the textile import ban was lifted, a 10% levy was introduced to support local competitiveness, but the fund has yet to be effectively deployed.

Kwajaffa highlighted the absence of a dedicated textile development fund at the BOI, contrasting it with the sugar industry, which benefited from a well-structured levy backed by political support. “Instead of channeling these funds to manufacturers, they remain unused. Nothing has been reinvested into the textile sector,” he added.

He also criticised conflicting government positions, which have hindered coherent policy implementation. “Different officials speak on different levels, creating confusion and stalling progress,” Kwajaffa said.

The Federal Government has periodically announced plans to rejuvenate the sector. In 2024, top officials urged stakeholders to develop a roadmap for revitalising the cotton and textile industry, in collaboration with international partners. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment also aimed to localise up to $4 billion of textile imports and promote domestic garment production, with plans to support operators through finance and machinery.

Although ministry and BOI tours of textile facilities in Kaduna State were conducted to launch these initiatives, stakeholders say progress has been slow while imports continue to rise.

Kwajaffa condemned the repeated workshops and announcements without follow-through, calling for a transparent institutional framework and proper allocation of the textile levy to support manufacturers dealing with high energy costs and poor infrastructure.

He added that corruption has hampered credit and grant programmes meant for industry support. “Corruption affects the distribution of grants, with funds often diverted before reaching manufacturers,” he said.

Insecurity and weak agricultural support have also undermined cotton production, which remains largely smallholder-based and poorly mechanised. “Cotton farming requires technical guidance, which is difficult to provide due to insecurity and limited government funding,” Kwajaffa noted.

Local manufacturers also struggle to access affordable polyester despite Nigeria being a crude oil producer, further limiting domestic production capacity.

Similarly, the Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, warned that rising textile imports continue to undercut local manufacturing. “The heavy influx of finished textiles discourages domestic production. These products flood the market, making it impossible for local firms to compete,” he said.

Ajayi-Kadir added that Kaduna State, once home to at least six textile companies under the association, now has none, and backward integration into cotton farming has also declined as producers turn to exports due to poor domestic competitiveness.