Shettima leads governors to Benin as Nigeria seeks to revive its textile industry.

Vice President Kashim Shettima will depart Abuja on Thursday for a high-level working visit to the Republic of Benin alongside a delegation of state governors and senior Federal Government officials.

During the visit, the delegation will tour the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) near Cotonou, where they will meet with officials of the Beninese government, investors and private-sector operators overseeing the industrial hub.

The visit is designed to strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme while drawing lessons from Benin’s model of agricultural value addition, industrial infrastructure, investment mobilisation, skills development and export-focused manufacturing.
A key focus will be the GDIZ textile park, which operates an integrated production chain covering cotton spinning, weaving, fabric processing and garment manufacturing. Spanning about 1,640 hectares, the industrial zone is structured to transform agricultural raw materials into finished products for export.
The visit comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to revive Nigeria’s textile industry, which remains economically important despite years of factory closures, limited local processing and stiff competition from imported fabrics and garments. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the textile, apparel and footwear industry was valued at approximately ₦8.15 trillion in 2024 and generated an additional ₦2.45 trillion in nominal output during the first quarter of 2025.
The delegation will also explore ways to strengthen linkages between cotton farmers, ginneries, spinning mills, textile manufacturers, fashion businesses and export markets. Nigeria’s large domestic demand for fabrics, ready-made garments, school uniforms, workwear, medical textiles, footwear, home furnishings and fashion products presents significant opportunities for local production, foreign exchange savings and job creation across the value chain.
In addition, discussions will focus on technology transfer, industrial training, modern machinery, reliable energy systems, shared processing facilities and stronger public-private partnerships to improve the competitiveness of Nigerian cotton, fabrics and finished garments. The visit will also examine how lessons from GDIZ can support Nigeria’s agro-industrial zones, including garment-training facilities and processing infrastructure located close to farming communities. The African Development Bank is already supporting plans for a garment-training centre under Nigeria’s SAPZ programme in Ogun State.
The visit aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its goals of industrial revitalisation, economic diversification, agricultural transformation, import substitution, job creation and expanding Nigeria’s non-oil exports.
The Vice President’s delegation includes the governors of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma; Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal; Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang; Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Katsina State, Dikko Umar Radda; and Jigawa State, Umar Namadi.