First Lady of Nigeria’s Ekiti state Bisi Fayemi recently urged the government to ban imported ‘Aso-Oke’ fabric from China and revive the nation’s textile industry by protecting the interests of women workers. Not in favour of banning the import of all fabrics, Fayemi made the call during the 2019 Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) in Lagos.
Protecting Nigeria’s Textile Heritage
Women in the Nigeria’s local communities toil hard to produce Aso-oke fabric, but lack the capacity to scale up. Instead of investing in boosting their capacity, The country has landed in a situation where outsiders are ripping off Nigeria’s intellectual property, she said.
African fashion is all about identity, self-love, dignity, attitude and ownership to preserve its culture, heritage and connection to the international community, she was quoted as saying by local newspapers.
She called for more collaboration between the operators in the fashion industry, the private sector, development partners and the government to boost the growth of the fashion and textile sector.
