A coalition of African financial, research and media groups is pressing to grow textile manufacturing across the continent, arguing that spinning, weaving and sewing cotton at home instead of shipping it abroad as raw fiber could add $34 billion a year to Africa's GDP.
The initiative, Africa Made It, rolled out its "Power, Protect and Purchase" campaign at the CANEX Weekend event in Lagos, Nigeria. Its plan targets three things: cheaper electricity for mills, trade protections for emerging domestic manufacturers, and consumers buying locally made clothing.
The imbalance it wants to fix is old news in the supply chain. Cotton-growing countries export much of their fiber for processing elsewhere, then import the finished textiles and apparel. The stages that create industrial jobs and most of the value between farm and garment often happen outside the countries growing the cotton. According to the World Trade Organization, about 98 percent of cotton produced in West and Central Africa leaves as raw fiber.
Africa Made It projects that expanding domestic spinning, weaving and garment production could support nearly 2 million permanent industrial jobs, generate roughly $33 billion in annual household income and contribute $34 billion to the continent's GDP each year. The campaign also calls for $1.8 billion in investment for infrastructure, cotton processing and garment production. It is coordinated by organizations including Africa Practice, Afreximbank, AllAfrica Media, Africa24, Africa No Filter, AKAS Consulting, Bird Story Agency, IC Publications and Research Alpha.
"African culture, design and storytelling influence global fashion, music and media like never before," said Marie Wilke, editor-in-chief of Africa Made It magazine. "Yet, without domestic manufacturing infrastructure, Africa's creative authority yields very little economic return."
The push comes alongside related efforts by international development institutions. On Oct. 29, the WTO and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization launched an investment drive focused on Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d'Ivoire, organized through the Partnership for Cotton. An assessment by UNIDO and the International Trade Centre identified $12 billion in potential investment commitments over the next decade, including $5 billion from private investors, which if realized could create 500,000 direct jobs and another 1.5 million indirect ones. The WTO said the partnership has identified more than 10 bankable projects and secured financing commitments, though the total value remains unclear. Afreximbank is involved in both efforts.
Money alone won't settle it. Expanding cotton processing demands reliable electricity, industrial equipment, transportation networks and access to markets big enough to sustain production. Spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing also bring energy, water and chemical-management demands that raw cotton exporters don't face at the same scale. For African manufacturers, the test will be whether new processing capacity can compete with established textile supply chains in Asia and attract enough demand to keep factories running.
Originally reported by WWD