India is willing to help Nigeria develop its textile industry in the areas of manpower capacity
needs and technology transfer.
The visiting Indian business delegation has expressed its readiness to help Nigeria develop its comatose textile industry at this moment when the African country's government is ready to make the sector work.
The delegation said it is capable of helping the country in the areas of manpower and capacity needs, technology transfer and in cotton and textile material production.
The delegation is led by Ravi Bangar who is also the Deputy Permanent representative of India to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
"We have expertise in the whole chain of production from picking, storage, conversion into finished product, cotton biomass, cultivation and other processes."
Bangar told the country's minister of agriculture Prof Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah. The minister assured him of co-operation from Nigeria stating that the country has set aside enormous amount to help revive the sector.
Members of the delegation had earlier been accompanied to meet the Nigerian Minister of Commerce and Industry Jubril Martins Kuye and his deputy Josephine Tapgun by the High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mahesh Sachdev.
During the meeting, Martins-Kuye had observed that India has the capacity to help Nigeria considering its position as the second largest cotton grower in the world and one of the
largest producers of textiles.
He said India has the expertise and experience that Nigeria needed.
"Our mission is to support the growth of the industry, but we are relying on those really wearing the shoes to help us to know what India can do for us," the minister had said.
The collapse of the once vibrant textile industry left more than one million Nigerians unemployed and the government and stakeholders have been making efforts to get it revived.
Recently, the government said it has set aside some USD 663 million to revitalise the industry.