President, National Cotton Association of Nigeria, NACOTAN, Anibe Achimugu, asserted that the cotton industry has been at its lowest ebb in the last two years. According to Achimugu in an interview with Vanguard, a major reason for the low productivity of the cotton subsector was basically the cessation of fundings and other interventions it used to receive. He also acknowledged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has given recognition of the cotton subsector and seen to be a significant contributor to its $1 trillion economy that would also trigger unprecedented employment generation for the teeming youths and attract foreign direct investments. He said “The cotton sector over the last two years has not fared well as it has been declining from its upward trajectory (2019/2020) through the deliberate but short intervention of Government to reaching its lowest levels (2024/2025) after the cessation of any form of intervention or support. The good news is that over the same period, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has shown its recognition of the sector as being a significant contributor to its $1 trillion economy, Job and Wealth creation, to mention a few, therefore has exhibited political will towards revamping the sector.
“The political will exhibited, firstly, stems from Mr. President’s campaign manifesto where he identified Cotton as a “strategic agricultural product” and Textiles as a ” specific strategic industry”, clearly recognising the sector as a significant economic booster, the deliberate engagement of Industry stakeholders by the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry Trade, and Investment, Sen. John Owan Enoh, and the icing on the cake being the recent approval for the establishment of a Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board, CTGDB, by the National Economic Council, NEC, ably led by the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Sen. Kashim Shettima, GCON, are specific and deliberate actions that have given sector stakeholders confidence in the intentions of President Tinubu’s administration for the sector’s revival.”
Meanwhile, the NACOTAN boss expressed hope that with the Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board in place, the narrative will change, however, he said, “To move the CTG sector forward within the next two years and beyond of the Tinubu administration, the approval given for the establishment of a Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board, CTGDB, by the National Economic Council, needs to be promptly and diligently established. “Stakeholders believe this umbrella body for the sector is the key success factor in tackling all the issues and challenges of the sector as the approval considered that the board be private sector (Industry players) driven, supporting the saying ‘he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches’.” He further stated that, “Stakeholders strongly believe that interventions so far in the sector have been done the ‘public sector way’, and it’s now time to do it the ‘private sector way’.
“We sincerely appreciate all the efforts of the federal government in the past, but it’s time to do it a different way, and that’s our way, putting our destiny in our hands to revive our investments in the sector, even in its near comatose state, of over N1 trillion. This CTGD board is a game changer, and it is consistent with norms across the world where countries that take their CTG sector seriously have boards or even ministries dedicated to the sector. The sector is taken as a national asset by countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, and others that each generate above $30 billion annually from the sector. This sector for its critical nature and the socio-economic well-being of our nation must be deliberately revived.”
Cotton industry experienced lowest ebb in 2 years – Achimugu
