Recently the President inaugurated a major textile factory in
Salami. We should not, however, rest on our meagre laurels.
We are very far from exploiting the full potential of Malawi as a textile
exporter.
We can learn something from Ethiopia which has set ambitious targets to create 140,000 new
jobs in this sector, with export revenues reaching $1 billion by the end of
2020.
One lesson is the need for textile and apparel industrial
parks. Salima can be the first such hub. The government has to provide the
necessary complementary structures. This can be done by setting technical
college on skills for the textile industry. The government should build a full-fledged
industrial zone around the new factory – providing roads, electricity, water
and even fully dedicated plug-and-play
buildings .
One advantage Malawi has is that it is a cotton producer although in the last year the cotton
production has declined sharply due to lack of consistent policy on credit and
inputs for cotton production. Ingood
years we have produced as much as 100 000 tons – twice as much as Ethiopia.
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