323 Scenes
PH: DR: Partial view of the cotton processing factory at the GDIZ site
The meeting provided an opportunity to identify opportunities and make structural recommendations to strengthen the revival of the cotton sector.
The country office of the African Development Bank Group in Benin organized on July 31, 2024 in Cotonou, a workshop to present a study on the revival of the Beninese textile industry with private sector actors. The meeting closes a process that began on March 9, 2023 with a regional workshop that made it possible to collect important data for a better understanding of the sector’s challenges in this country in West Africa which is one of the major cotton producers in Africa.
The workshop brought together several experts and national authorities including the Vice President of Benin, Ms. ) as well as representatives of Benin’s technical and financial partners.
The meeting provided an opportunity to identify opportunities and make structural recommendations to strengthen the vitality of the cotton sector.
The study revealed several opportunities to improve the textile value chain ranging from production units for accessories, to manufacturing, logistics, distribution and even solutions for the maintenance of textile products. Other opportunities are related to the production of textile articles for medical use, or for furniture, cosmetics, cars or food. The sanitary napkin sector alone could generate more than 13 million dollars (8 billion CFA francs) annually in resources for the country. The study highlighted the many opportunities to create tens of thousands of skilled jobs for young people and women.
The report also highlighted the Bank’s opportunities to contribute to the socio-economic development of the textile industry in Benin and called on leaders to make decisions to support the development of new local sectors.
In addition to textile fibers from cotton, the study highlighted the great economic potential, and the potential to create more than 45,000 jobs in a new sector structured around pineapple leaf fibers.
Nathalie Daouda, a private sector textile specialist consultant at the African Development Bank country office in Benin who conducted the study, said: “The potential additional income for the Beninese economy is more than five billion dollars than SA (3,000 billion FCFA) per year. And to reverse these projections, little effort is required because Benin already has the natural and human resources to do the job. A national plan is still to be developed and implemented. The Beninese state has largely demonstrated its ability to take on ambitious challenges.”
The Vice President of the Republic, Mrs. Mariam Chabi Talata Zime Yérima congratulated the Bank for its commitment to support the inclusive Beninese economy but above all , for the “authenticity, completeness, feasibility” of the study. “This report (…) is a kind of strategic plan to strengthen our economy through the textile sector, and it is still relevant for us, because the development of our economy by strengthening this sector will create many jobs”, she said .
“This strategic plan is already the first link in the steps to follow to move from ideas to actions and from theory to practice,” said Ms. Yérima. She asked for the potential to create jobs for women and young people, but also the economic and social potential for the strategic use of pineapple leaf fiber for the Beninese textile industry.
Miss Faridatou Yekini, the founder of the Mod’Ukpè house, which specializes in women’s clothing, recognized that several activities are underway to encourage local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with special attention to businesses run by women. “I am especially grateful to see that it is now possible for young designers to benefit from support and funding for their ventures in the clothing sector. This development is an important step towards the growth and sustainability of our business,” she said.
“The African Development Bank has done well to create a favorable framework to promote cooperation, especially through visits to the Glo Djigbé industrial zone and capacity building sessions for small and medium enterprises. These initiatives enabled my company, Safari Textiles Afrique, to formalize and structure, and establish beneficial partnerships. The logical continuation is now the funding of companies that are making efforts to follow suit, accompanied by a major audit to ensure good management of funds,” said Caleb Menou, co-founder of the brand, Safari Textiles Afrique.
The head of the Bank’s country office in Benin, Robert Masumbuko, pointed out the potential for social economic and inclusive development in this region, a real advantage for Benin, he said. “The Beninese ecosystem is full of talented women and men who make clothing articles of beauty every day. But they all widely expressed the need for a joint plan to help them increase not only the numbers but also the quality of training. They need support to acquire or access quality modern equipment for processing and manufacturing and especially to access local and international markets with qualitative and competitive textile solutions,” he said.
One of the Bank’s missions to the private sector is to intervene financially in an intelligent and agile way to effectively support actors in the various value chains, concluded Mr. Masumbuko.
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is the leading development finance institution in Africa. There are three specialized agencies: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Special Fund (NSF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member states. (Source: Organization for the African Development Bank Group -AfDB).
