India Eyes Bigger Role In Nigeria’s Textile Revival
India and Nigeria are looking to strengthen textile trade relations, with India expressing readiness to support Nigeria’s textile revival programme through investments, technology transfer and skill development initiatives across the textile value chain.
Speaking at the Textile Meet/B2B Nigeria-India engagement held at the Indian High Commission in Abuja, India’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, said that despite strong economic ties between the two countries, bilateral textile trade has still not reached its full potential.
He noted that Nigeria’s ongoing textile revival programme presents significant opportunities for Indian textile companies, particularly in establishing ginning, spinning and textile processing facilities in major cotton-producing regions such as Katsina and Zamfara.
According to Singh, India can play a vital role in supporting the modernisation of Nigeria’s textile sector by providing advanced textile technologies and technical expertise. He highlighted opportunities for collaboration in modern looms, digital printing and dyeing technologies, while adding that Indian textile machinery manufacturers could supply equipment along with training support and buy-back arrangements.
India currently exports a wide range of textile products to Nigeria, including cotton fabrics, polyester-viscose blends, carpets, traditional wear fabrics, affordable garments and textile machinery.
However, Singh pointed out that Indian textile products continue to face several challenges in accessing the Nigerian market. These include import restrictions, high logistics costs, foreign exchange shortages and stiff competition from low-cost Asian suppliers.
Highlighting the scope for further trade expansion, Singh said Nigeria’s total textile exports stood at US$ 25.69 million in 2024, with India accounting for only around 5 percent of the share.
He further revealed that India is exploring a potential collaboration between the National Institute of Fashion Technology and the Nigerian Fashion Institute in Lagos to strengthen fashion education, design innovation and industry cooperation between the two nations.
