'Nigeria loses $3 bn annually to ankara fabric imports: Minister Musawa’ 22 October 2024

Nigeria loses nearly $3 billion each year to foreign manufacturers of ankara, a widely popular wax print in West and Central Africa, according to the country’s minister of art, culture and creative economy Hannatu Musawa. She highlighted the need to empower Africa's fashion and textile industry, observing that fabrics like adire, kente, bogolan and ankara represent Africa's heritage, pride and identity. "Despite this heritage, it is deeply ironic that many of the fabrics we cherish, such as ankara, are predominantly produced outside Africa," Musawa stated.

Musawa statement was issued by her special adviser on media and publicity Nneka Anibeze at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND) 2024, held in Algiers last week. Nearly nine-tenth of the ankara consumed in Africa is imported, she was cited as saying by African media outlets. The minister emphasised the importance of strengthening domestic production capacities to reclaim Africa's fashion narrative. Africa’s fashion industry is projected to grow to $15.5 billion by 2025, she noted, calling for actions to address structural challenges that hinder local production.