Nigeria’s textile imports rose sharply to N814.27bn in the first nine months of 2025, raising fresh concerns over the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s repeated claims that it is reviving the once-thriving textile industry. Industry stakeholders say the rising import bill reflects the continued weakness of local textile production and the country’s growing dependence on foreign fabrics.
Data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics’ foreign trade reports show that Nigeria imported textile materials and textile articles valued at N228.83bn in the first quarter of 2025. This increased to N337.12bn in the second quarter before moderating slightly to N248.32bn in the third quarter. Altogether, imports between January and September stood at N814.27bn.
The figure represents a 47.43 per cent increase compared to the N552.31bn recorded in the same period of 2024, despite several policy announcements and interventions aimed at revitalising the sector. Operators in the industry said the trend highlights deep structural challenges, policy failures, weak execution of government initiatives, and persistent corruption.
Industry players told The PUNCH that while government officials frequently speak about reviving textiles, actual implementation of policies and access to support remain limited. They blamed the rising importation on poor execution of intervention programmes, lack of affordable financing from institutions such as the Bank of Industry, abandonment of promised reforms, and long-standing bottlenecks including insecurity, weak cotton farming, and limited local capacity to produce polyester at scale.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association, Hamma Kwajaffa, said the growing textile import bill showed that government policies on industry revival had largely remained at the level of rhetoric. According to him, one of the key policy failures relates to the handling of the 10 per cent levy introduced after the ban on textile imports was lifted.
Kwajaffa explained that the levy was designed with the understanding that the proceeds would be reinvested in the textile industry to improve competitiveness and reduce dependence on imports. However, he said the funds have not been used for that purpose.
“You see, this increased import is why it is now important to levy a textile tax. So that tax is supposed to be ploughed into the production of the textiles. But the government takes that money as part of their money, as if these funds were meant for the government, and not for improvement or to make the local textile industry competitive,” he said.
He noted that when the import ban was lifted, policymakers were aware of Nigerians’ preference for foreign goods and therefore agreed that part of the levy should support local producers. According to him, this understanding has not translated into action.
“The essence is that when the ban on textiles was lifted, they knew the Nigerian with their penchant for foreign goods, and therefore they want to be sure that 10 per cent of that fund is ploughed back into textiles so that they can be competitive. But that money, once it comes in, the government feels it is their own, and they don’t want to give it back to the private sector to work on,” he said.
Kwajaffa faulted the absence of a dedicated textile development fund domiciled with the Bank of Industry, noting that similar levy-based support structures had worked in other sectors such as sugar. He said the sugar industry benefitted from a functioning council and strong political backing, unlike textiles.
“Instead of collecting loans they can use, they can have a fund for that levy, a textile development fund somewhere kept at the Bank of Industry. But that one has not been discussed, and it’s not working anywhere. What they are working on is the sugar council levy,” he said.
According to him, no part of the textile levy has been ploughed back into the industry since it was introduced. He also criticised what he described as selective government attention, arguing that the sector lacked strong advocates within government circles.
“So because nobody is there in the textile industry that can speak to the government or to go and then be acceptable, nothing is being done with that fund. Nothing at all has been ploughed since inception,” he said.
Kwajaffa further pointed to policy incoherence within government, saying differing positions among senior officials had stalled progress. He cited comments from Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, as examples of conflicting approaches that have hindered coordinated action.
The Federal Government has, on several occasions, announced plans to revive the cotton and textile sector. In August 2024, Vice-President Shettima called on stakeholders to produce a roadmap for revitalising the industry, referencing collaboration with the International Cotton Advisory Committee. In April 2025, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said it aimed to localise up to $4bn in textile imports, while Enoh announced plans to promote locally made garments across government institutions and work with the BOI to provide funding and machinery.
Although officials from the ministry and the BOI toured textile facilities in Kaduna State to signal the start of the initiative, stakeholders said progress has been slow while imports continue to rise.
Kwajaffa said repeated workshops and announcements without concrete execution have delivered no real results. He called for a clear institutional framework that would ensure transparency and proper use of the textile levy to support manufacturers struggling with high energy costs and weak infrastructure.
He also alleged that corruption has undermined credit and grant programmes meant to support the industry, saying kickbacks often derail genuine interventions. According to him, insecurity and weak agricultural support have further damaged the cotton value chain, which remains dominated by poorly mechanised smallholder farmers.
“Cotton is a scientific product. The farmer has to be tutored. Extension officers cannot even go to the field because of insecurity, and the government finds it difficult to fund them,” he said.
He added that local manufacturers also struggle to access affordable polyester despite Nigeria being a crude oil producer, further weakening competitiveness.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, also warned that rising textile imports were undermining local production. He said the influx of finished textile products, often dumped in the local market, makes it difficult for domestic firms to survive in a harsh operating environment. He recalled that Kaduna State once hosted several textile companies but now has none under MAN’s coverage.
As imports continue to climb, stakeholders say meaningful revival of Nigeria’s textile industry will depend on consistent policies, transparent funding mechanisms, improved security, and strong political will to support local production.
