AfDB, Govt, Stakeholders Brainstorm On Strategies To Boost Textile Sector In Benin

Posted by Eric Ojo Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Friday, March 10th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, representatives of the Beninese government and stakeholders are poised to collectively tackle the challenges facing the country’s textile industry.

This resolve was demonstrated at a workshop facilitated by the AfDB Group’s country office in the Republic of Benin, which was aimed at building the capacity of stakeholders to develop value chains in the industry.

The workshop drew fabric producers, dyers, stylists, designers, embroiderers, seamstresses, consumers, support function professionals, and value chain professionals, representatives of textile associations and government representatives.

The aim was to understand the needs and expectations of the textile manufacturing ecosystem and to incorporate local actors into value chains for mass-production of textiles. Key players in the country’s textile value chain attended the workshop to explore alternative strategies to boost the sector.

In addition to collecting qualitative data from stakeholders on the needs of private and public operators, the workshop also provided an opportunity to propose an alternative to importation of lower quality clothing and textiles.

With the mass production of textile products, the expectation is that the initiative should also lead to the implementation of a mutually beneficial production model that is accessible and financially profitable for local consumers while also satisfying demand for exports.

According to the government, the country’s textile industry has the potential to become one of the country’s major employers. The local market is expected to grow remarkably in the coming years.

Beninese Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dario G. Ebo Sacramento said the workshop fits perfectly into the dynamics of structural reinforcement of the textile industry in Benin and the logic of consuming locally made products.

“This is a sector which offers many opportunities at all stages of the value chain. The project for the industrialisation of small-scale clothing in Benin, proposed by the AfDB Group, is part of the innovation movement with high added value for the Beninese consumer, which the government is trying to promote within the Beninese industry”, he said.

Similarly, the AfDB Group’s Benin country manager, Robert Masumbuko said the workshop is a step towards helping Beninese small and medium-sized enterprises to structure themselves and pool their efforts to support the dynamics set up by the Beninese authorities in favour of the development of the textile industry, through local mass production.

Notably, tprivate sector development is among the bank’s priority areas in Benin for the 2022 2026 period. The aim is to support the transformation of agriculture and industrial development in the country.

In her remarks, a member of Benin’s Chamber of Crafts and founder of Couleur Indigo, , an indigo dyeing company which employs a majority of people with disabilities, Nadia Adanlé expressed optimism on the prospects and possibilities that abound in the Beninese textile industry.

“It is in the interest of all stakeholders in the Beninese garment industry that the textile sector be governed by international norms and standards so that production is attractive and meets the needs of local consumers as well as the increasingly pressing demand which comes not only from outside the country but also from outside the continent”, she stressed.