The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has warned that the senate’s proposal to ban textile imports for five years could inflict significant damage on Nigeria’s economy, threaten millions of jobs and disrupt industries that depend on imported fabrics, arguing that the measure would fail to revive the country’s struggling textile sector.
Chief Executive Officer of CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, said in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos, said while the objective of revitalising Nigeria’s textile industry was commendable, an outright import prohibition would create more economic problems than it would solve.
The senate had recently urged the federal government to impose a five-year ban on textile fabric imports following a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung. The proposal is intended to provide a protected market for domestic cotton farmers and local textile manufacturers to expand production.
However, Yusuf argued that Nigeria’s textile industry’s decline was caused primarily by structural challenges rather than import competition.
According to him, high energy costs, poor infrastructure, expensive credit, obsolete production technology, logistics bottlenecks, widespread smuggling and inconsistent government policies have collectively weakened the competitiveness of local textile manufacturers.
He warned that restricting textile imports would disrupt production across the country’s garment, fashion, tailoring, furniture and interior design industries, which rely heavily on imported fabrics as critical production inputs.
Yusuf said Nigeria’s fashion, garment-making and tailoring industry is valued at about N10 trillion and supports an estimated 10 million livelihoods, making it one of the country’s largest and most vibrant creative economy sectors.
He noted that the industry generates substantial domestic value addition through design, tailoring, embroidery, branding, merchandising and retail activities, often creating more value than the imported textile materials used in production.
“Restricting textile imports would increase production costs, reduce consumer choice and threaten thousands of micro, small and medium enterprises engaged in fashion, tailoring and garment manufacturing,” he said.
The CPPE boss also noted that textile fabrics constitute essential raw materials for Nigeria’s furniture and interior design industry, estimated to be worth about N7 trillion.
He warned that any disruption in the supply of imported fabrics would reduce manufacturers’ competitiveness and negatively affect businesses operating across the value chain.
Yusuf further observed that imported textile fabrics are already subject to combined Import Duty and Import Adjustment Tax of between 35 per cent and 45 per cent, yet those protective tariffs have not restored the competitiveness of Nigeria’s textile manufacturers.
“The core problem lies in production economics rather than import penetration.
“An import ban addresses the symptom while leaving the underlying causes unresolved,” he said.
He also argued that local textile manufacturers currently lack the production capacity to meet the quantity, quality and variety of fabrics required by the country’s fashion, garment, furniture and interior design industries.
According to him, imposing an outright import ban could therefore trigger supply shortages and adversely affect downstream industries that currently generate significantly more employment than textile manufacturing.
Rather than banning imports, Yusuf advocated a comprehensive value-chain strategy to revive the sector.
He called for the restoration of domestic cotton production through improved security in farming communities, mechanisation, access to improved seedlings, extension services and guaranteed off-take arrangements for farmers.
He also urged the government to provide affordable long-term financing, modern production technology, reliable electricity supply and a more competitive operating environment for textile manufacturers.
Among other recommendations, Yusuf called on the Federal Government to prioritise locally produced textiles and garments for uniforms used by the military, paramilitary agencies, schools and other public institutions.
He also proposed the establishment of a Textile Competitiveness Fund, financed from textile-related import tax revenues, to support technology upgrades and modernisation across the industry.
Other measures he recommended include strengthening border enforcement to curb smuggling and implementing reforms aimed at reducing energy costs, lowering financing costs and improving industrial infrastructure.
Yusuf maintained that Nigeria’s textile industry could only achieve sustainable recovery by improving competitiveness rather than imposing additional import restrictions.
He warned that a blanket import ban could encourage smuggling, reduce customs revenue and weaken a broader industrial value chain that contributes substantially to employment, enterprise growth and economic development.
