The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE) has warned that the Senate’s proposed ban on textile imports could trigger massive economic losses, threatening a N7 trillion industry and the livelihoods of about 10 million Nigerians.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Chief Executive Director of CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, who argued that the proposed policy would do more harm than good to the Nigerian economy.
The Senate had, on June 9, 2026, resolved to seek a total ban on textile imports as part of efforts to revive Nigeria’s once-thriving textile industry, particularly along the Kaduna-Kano axis. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung, representing Kaduna South.
Reacting to the proposal, the CPPE said banning textile imports would disrupt a sector valued at about N7 trillion and currently supporting an estimated 10 million jobs across the country.
According to the organisation, the Senate’s proposal focuses on the symptoms of the industry’s decline while ignoring the deeper structural problems responsible for its struggles.
Yusuf explained that the real challenges facing Nigeria’s textile industry include high energy costs, expensive credit, poor infrastructure, logistics bottlenecks, obsolete technology, rampant smuggling, limited access to long-term financing and inconsistent government policies—not simply import competition.
He warned that disrupting the supply chain through an import ban would increase production costs, weaken the competitiveness of local businesses and put millions of existing jobs at risk.
“The challenge confronting Nigeria’s textile industry is fundamentally one of competitiveness rather than import penetration,” Yusuf said.
He added that a sustainable revival of the sector would require comprehensive structural reforms, including lower production costs, improved infrastructure, the revival of cotton production, affordable financing for manufacturers and strategic government procurement policies to stimulate demand for locally produced textiles.
