President Muhammadu Buhari pledges to revive the textile industry in Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, pledged to revive the textile industry in Nigeria.
Receiving the CEO of Vlisco Group, David Suddens, at the Presidential Villa, Buhari welcomed the proposed investment of $200 million by the company in Nigeria.
He said: ‘’I am very much aware of your company’s effort especially your investments in the textile industry, and it is one area that we are trying to develop because it will create employment and boost agriculture.
‘’To get cotton to grow again in the country is like going back to the good old days when the textile industry used to employ more than hundreds of thousands of people. ‘’I am very excited about the prospects of reviving the industry because it will keep farmers busy, create employment which brings more security, help the economy, transfer of technology and of course we have a large market to absorb the products.
‘’I want a new strategy that brings Vlisco manufacturing to Nigeria. I want to change the supply chain from Asia to Nigeria. ‘’For the total supply chain for cotton, textile and garment industry from weaving, spinning, printing to retail, we want to use Nigerian cotton and we have already started to encourage the creative industries in the country to find a voice and give them a platform across the world. ‘’I am convinced that it is time for the textile industry to move from Asia to Africa.”
Also speaking, the Dutch Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Robert Petri told President Buhari that the company’s visit was a follow-up to his successful visit to the Netherlands in July.
