COTONOU, Benin, August 5, 2024 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/-The African Development Bank Group country office in Benin organized on July 31, 2024 in Cotonou, a workshop to present a study on the revitalization of the Beninese textile sector by private sector actors. The meeting concludes a process started on March 9, 2023 by a sectoral workshop that made it possible to collect important data for a better understanding of the challenges of the sector in this West African country, which is one of the main cotton producers in Africa.
The workshop brought together several experts and national authorities including the Vice-President of Benin, Ms. Mariam Chabi Talata Zimé Yérima, private sector actors operating across the entire local cotton value chain, support professions (finance, training, transport, logistics, etc.) as well as representatives of Benin’s technical and financial partners.
The meeting made it possible to identify opportunities and make structural proposals to strengthen the revitalization of the cotton sector.
The study revealed many opportunities to develop the textile value chain ranging from production units for accessories, to clothing, logistics, distribution or even solutions for the maintenance of textile items. Other opportunities include the production of textile items for medical use, or for furniture, cosmetics, automobiles or food. The sanitary napkin sector alone could generate more than $13 million (8 billion CFA francs) per year 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 possibilities for the Bank 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 fibre from cotton, the study highlighted the colossal economic potential and the possibility of creating more than 45,000 jobs in a new sector structured around pineapple leaf fibre.
Ms. Nathalie Daouda, expert consultant in the private textile sector at the African Development Bank country office in Benin, which conducted the study, said: “The potential for additional revenues for the Beninese economy is greater than five billion US dollars (3,000 billion FCFA) per year. And to convert these projections, there is not much effort required because Benin already has the natural and human resources to do the job. It remains to develop a national plan and implement it. The Beninese state has largely proven 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 supporting an inclusive Beninese economy but above all, for the “realism, completeness, feasibility” of the study. “This report (…) is a kind of strategic plan on strengthening our economy through the textile sector, and remains relevant for us, because the development of our economy by strengthening this sector will create many jobs,” she stressed.
“This strategic plan is already the first link in the steps to follow to move from ideas to actions and from theory to practice,” added Ms. Yérima. She stressed the potential for job creation for women and young people, but also the economic and social potential of a strategic exploitation of pineapple leaf fiber for the Beninese textile industry.
Founder of the Mod’Ukpè house, specializing in woven loincloth and the manufacture of women’s clothing, Mrs. Faridatou Yekini, acknowledged that several actions are underway to boost local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with particular attention to businesses run by women. “I am particularly grateful to see that it is now possible for young designers to benefit from support and financing for their initiatives in the textile sector. This development marks a significant step towards the growth and sustainability of our industry,” she said.
“The African Development Bank has done well to create a favorable framework to encourage collaborations, particularly through visits to the Glo Djigbé industrial zone and capacity building sessions for small and medium-sized enterprises. These initiatives have helped to formalize and structure my company, Safari Textiles Afrique, and to establish fruitful partnerships. The logical next step would now be to finance companies that are making the effort to get in line, accompanied by serious monitoring to ensure good management of funds,” argued Caleb Menou, co-founder of the brand, Safari Textiles Afrique.
The head of the Bank’s country office in Benin, Robert Masumbuko, highlighted the economic and inclusive social development potential in this sector, a real boon for Benin, he said. “The Beninese ecosystem is full of talented women and men who produce textile items of great beauty every day. But all of them have widely expressed the need for a concerted plan to help them increase not only volumes but also the quality of their training. They need assistance 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 with the private sector is to intervene financially in an intelligent and agile manner to provide effective support to actors in the various value chains, concluded Mr. Masumbuko.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of the African Development Bank.
Source : African Media Agency (AMA)
2024-08-05 08:57:09
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