Shettima, Governors Visit Benin Republic Over Textile Revival

Vice President Kashim Shettima has led a delegation of state governors and senior government officials to the Republic of Benin for a high-level working visit focused on exploring new investment opportunities and strategies for rebuilding Nigeria’s textile industry.

The delegation, which departed Abuja on Thursday, is expected to visit the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) near Cotonou, where it will engage with Beninese government officials, investors and private-sector operators managing the industrial hub.

The visit is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme by studying Benin’s approach to agricultural value addition, industrial infrastructure, investment mobilisation, skills development and export-driven manufacturing.

A key focus of the engagement will be the GDIZ textile park, which operates an integrated production model covering cotton spinning, weaving, fabric processing and garment manufacturing.

The industrial zone, which spans about 1,640 hectares, is designed to transform agricultural raw materials into finished products for local consumption and export markets.

The visit comes amid renewed efforts by the Nigerian government to revive the textile sector, which has suffered years of factory closures, weak local processing capacity and competition from imported fabrics and garments.