Nigeria’s Fashion Industry Faces $3 Billion Drain as Ankara Imports Escalate
Nigeria is losing an astonishing $3 billion annually to foreign manufacturers of Ankara, a wax print fabric widely worn across West and Central Africa.
Hannatu Musawa, the country’s Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, shed light on this pressing issue during her address at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND) 2024 in Algiers last week.
Musawa emphasized the urgent need to empower Africa’s fashion and textile industry, underscoring that fabrics such as adire, kente, bogolan, and Ankara are more than mere textiles; they embody the continent’s heritage, pride, and identity.
“Despite this rich cultural heritage, it is deeply ironic that many of the fabrics we cherish, such as Ankara, are predominantly produced outside Africa,” she lamented.
Musawa noted that nearly 90% of the Ankara consumed in Africa is imported, highlighting the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen its domestic production capacities.
She stated that by reclaiming the narrative of Africa’s fashion industry, the continent can not only retain its cultural identity but also stimulate economic growth.
Musawa’s statements were echoed by her special adviser on media and publicity, Nneka Anibeze, who emphasised the necessity for concrete actions to tackle the structural challenges that inhibit local production.
Anibeze noted that with Africa’s fashion industry projected to reach a staggering $15.5 billion by 2025, there is immense potential for growth if the right strategies are implemented to promote local manufacturers and preserve the continent’s rich textile heritage.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs is collaborating with WEMA Bank Plc on a new initiative aimed at empowering 500,000 women across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The partnership, under the Ministry’s women cluster arrangement, focuses on skill acquisition, agriculture, provision of grants and loans, and dedicating part of WEMA Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards women-focused programs.
At a meeting with WEMA Bank officials and partners on Monday, Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to tackle poverty, and unemployment, and improve living standards.
