The Federal Government has inaugurated a steering committee to develop the framework for creating the Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board (CTGDB), a key step toward reviving Nigeria’s long-declining cotton, textile, and garment sector.
The move, announced Thursday, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on economic diversification, job creation, and industrial revitalization.
Representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the Permanent Secretary of the General Services Office emphasized that the cotton, textile, and garment (CTG) industry once served as a major economic pillar supporting thousands of jobs, rural livelihoods, GDP growth, and export earnings.
However, it has been battered by falling production, poor infrastructure, policy inconsistencies, limited financing, smuggling, and fierce competition from imported textiles.
“The need to establish the Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Board was deliberated upon and resolved at the 149th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on April 24, 2025,” the statement noted.
The steering committee, chaired by Mr. Abia Ifiok Bassey (Director Overseeing the Office of Political and Economic Affairs, OSGF), includes representatives from major stakeholders:
Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), Apparel and Accessories Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (AAMAN), National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), Nigerian Cotton Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd, Textile Researchers Association of Nigeria (TRAN), New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), Cotton Ginners Association of Nigeria (CGAN), Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Forum (CTGDF), and Kaduna State.
Its terms of reference include:Reviewing NEC decisions on the proposed board
Proposing funding sources and budget provisions
Recommending supportive policies
Defining the board’s composition, functions, and regulatory powers
Preparing a comprehensive report with recommendations for presidential approval
The SGF urged the committee to prioritize local content and public-private partnerships, assuring full government support for their recommendations.
Anibe Achimugu, Coordinator of the Cotton, Textile and Garment Development Forum (CTGDF), described the inauguration as “a historic moment” marking Nigeria’s shift “from advocacy to implementation, from intention to delivery, and from aspiration to measurable national impact.”
He explained that the proposed CTGDB would serve as an integrated platform to coordinate policy, investment, incentives, standards, and performance across the entire cotton-to-garment value chain addressing fragmentation and positioning the sector for sustainable growth and global competitiveness.
The initiative has been welcomed by industry stakeholders as a concrete step toward reversing decades of decline and unlocking the sector’s potential for employment and economic contribution.
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