India has pledged support for Nigeria's cotton, textile and garment sector through technology transfer, investment partnerships and skills development. The commitment was announced by India's high commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, on Thursday in Abuja during a Textile Meet and Business-to-Business event organised by the high commission. He highlighted that India, the world's sixth-largest textile exporter, recorded $37.75 billion in textile and apparel exports in the 2024/2025 fiscal year. Nigeria's textile exports in 2024 reached $25.69 million, with India accounting for just five per cent of that figure.
Mr Singh noted that bilateral trade in textiles remains below potential due to import restrictions, logistics costs, foreign exchange shortages and competition from cheaper Asian products. He said Indian firms could set up ginning, spinning and textile-processing facilities in Nigeria's cotton-producing states, including Katsina and Zamfara, to support local value chain integration. This, he added, aligns with Nigeria's Cotton, Textile and Garment Policy and reduces reliance on imports. India also plans to provide modern machinery, digital printing and dyeing technology, as well as technical training for Nigerian operators and manufacturers.
Partnerships between India's National Institute of Fashion Technology and fashion institutions in Lagos are being explored to boost technical and design capacity. An India-Nigeria Bi-Monthly Trade Webinar Series will launch in collaboration with the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry to link exporters and importers from both nations. "We need to move the textile trade from transactional to transformational," Mr Singh said. "India brings scale, cost efficiency and technical depth, while Nigeria offers market size and design innovation."
India points to Nigeria's low $25.69 million textile exports while offering help to fix an industry Nigeria already has a policy for. The irony is that Indian firms are being urged to build processing plants in Katsina and Zamfara when local execution of the Cotton, Textile and Garment Policy has stalled. Nigerian manufacturers have had the policy framework for years but lack implementation follow-through. Promises of Indian technology and training cannot substitute for domestic accountability.
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