CPPE warns Senate textile import ban would hurt Nigeria’s economy and jobs
On Sunday, June 27, 2026, the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) warned that the Senate’s resolution calling for a total ban on textile imports would hurt Nigeria’s economy, disrupt supply chains and threaten millions of jobs. The Senate passed the resolution on June 9 to revive the struggling textile sector and create jobs, but the CPPE argued that an outright import ban would impose heavy collateral costs on downstream industries rather than revive local textile production.
The think tank said Nigeria’s textile industry decline stems from structural constraints—high energy costs, expensive credit, poor infrastructure, logistics bottlenecks, obsolete technology, smuggling, weak access to long‑term finance and policy inconsistency—not import competition. Imported fabrics already face a combined import duty and adjustment tax of 35‑45 percent. Meanwhile, the fashion, garment and tailoring sector, valued at ₦10 trillion and employing about 10 million Nigerians, relies heavily on imported textiles, as does the furniture and interior design industry worth ₦7 trillion. A ban would cause supply shortages, raise production costs and weaken sectors that generate far more employment than textile manufacturing.
Instead of a ban, the CPPE urged a comprehensive value‑chain strategy: government procurement of locally made textiles for uniforms, a Textile Competitiveness Fund financed by a share of import‑tax revenues to fund technology upgrades, revival of domestic cotton through better seeds, mechanisation, extension services, security and off‑take deals, stricter border enforcement to curb smuggling, and reforms to lower energy, infrastructure and financing costs. The group said improving competitiveness, not banning imports, offers a sustainable path to revive textiles.
Which approach do you think would better revive Nigeria’s textile sector—an outright import ban or a comprehensive value‑chain strategy that tackles production costs and smuggling?