NAN- ELS-1
Fashion
Abuja, Aug. 16, 2017 (NAN) Mrs Funmi Ajila-Ladipo, the President of Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) says over one million jobs can be generated annually if the enabling environment for the fashion industry is created.
Ajila-Ladipo made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
“Fashion industry alone can create over one million jobs because in every street you have a tailor and if the tailor’s work is cheaper, a lot of people will buy from him.
“And as people buy more, he or she will then employ more people to work. Such person can be sending his or her finished works abroad, selling more and bringing FOREX home.’’
FADAN president, who is also the Director of Regalia, a fashion outfit said the major challenge facing the textile industry in the country “is inadequate power supply’’.
According to her, people in the fashion industry spend millions of naira every month buying diesel to power their generators.
“At the end of the day, you discover that the imported fabrics from China where they do not use diesel or fuel are far cheaper than ours.
“That is what is affecting the textile industry in the country.
“So, if the government can protect the industry through good policies, it will be more viable and other countries will want to come and produce in Nigeria,’’ she said.
Ajila-Ladipo also identified unbridled importation and smuggling of low quality textiles and garments as another challenge of the industry.
“Just as the Federal Government is supporting aviation by giving them intervention funds, it should also give the textile manufacturers and textile designers intervention funds so that they can survive.
“Similarly, operators in the industry should be given waivers for importation of accessories and other materials for the production of the garments,’’ she said.
According to her, if the policy on the ban of imported materials is enforced, many manufacturers of textiles will remain in business and jobs will be created,’’ she said.
Ajila-Ladipo called on the government to support the industry by creating clusters where all the facilities would be available that would make production easier and cheaper.
She said that this would help to reduce production cost and the designers would be more competitive to the point of exporting their products to other countries.
She, however, said that another major challenge fashion designers were currently facing was their inability to export their works to other countries due to high cost of production.
“This is because by the time you take it abroad, it will be more expensive than what they are selling there.
“That is why Nigerian fashion designers find it difficult to export their works. However, for you to do fashion business, you need to produce commercial quantity for it to be profitable.
“The Federal Government should create enabling environment by reducing tariff on import raw materials for production and fix the power sector to make the fashion industry more viable.
“I am very positive that when the government does this, the fashion industry in the country will be able to create over one million job for Nigerians,’’ Ajila-Ladipo maintained.
FADAN aims to promote cultural and ethnic values through the Nigerian textiles and fashion industry.
It also seeks to build relationship with stakeholders in the industry and ensure a strong Nigerian fashion and cultural brand globally. (NAN)
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Edited by Grace Yussuf