African textiles union leaders brainstorm on COVID-19 impact

Nigerian Textiles labour leaders and their counterparts in some African countries have met to discuss COVID-19 impact on the industry. Leaders of the textile and garment unions in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda and Lesotho, among others, participated in the virtual meeting.
 
Speaking at the meeting, the President, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade John Adaji observed that COVID-19 pandemic was having a devastating impact on workers in the textile and garment industries in Africa, including Nigeria.

According to him, prior to the pandemic, the industry was on the path of recovery, following some interventions by the Federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) within the framework of the Cotton Textile and Garment (CTG) policy.
 
He commended the effort and contribution of the Vice President of IndustriALL Global Union and immediate past General Secretary of the Textiles Union in Nigeria, Comrade Issa Aremu for making some of the interventions by the Federal Government possible. 
 
He recalled that in July 2019 the union’s leadership paid a courtesy visit to President Muhammadu Buhari, where he reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring the revival of the cotton, textile and garment sector.

Adaji said factories were forced to shut down effectively from March 27 in compliance with the nationwide lockdown order by the Federal Government to contain COVID-19 spread.