Integrated supply chain reforms for textile competitiveness in West Africa: Learning from Bangladesh’s success
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https://doi.org/10.71350/3062192598Keywords:
Textile competitiveness, supply chain reforms, renewable energy transition, regional integration, infrastructure modernizationAbstract
West Africa's textile industry, long a vibrant engine of industrialization, is now facing serious deindustrialization as Bangladesh emerges as the world's largest garment exporter. This disparity stems not from labor costs, but from structural supply chain inefficiencies that undermine Nigerian and Ghanaian competitiveness. According to our comparative benchmarking, firms in Nigeria and Ghana pay five times more for electricity than in Bangladesh and have 21-day port lead times, drastically reducing export responsiveness and foreign investment attractiveness. Moving beyond diagnostics, this study proposes an integrated reform framework that shows how strategic alignment of infrastructure modernization, renewable energy uptake, and regional institutional collaboration can close the competitiveness gap. Empirical evidence suggests that targeted interventions, such as Nigeria's Lagos-Badagry Textile Corridor, which reduces shipment transit times by 48%, and the ECOWAS Cotton Initiative, which consolidates regional raw material sourcing, can reduce aggregate production costs by 22-30% and shorten lead times by 40–65%. Crucially, energy is transformed from a burden to a competitive asset: by harnessing West Africa's outstanding solar potential, manufacturers may reach energy cost parity with Bangladesh in 18 months. This tripartite approach goes beyond fragmented policy interventions, positioning the region to transition from marginal participation to a dynamically integrated textile powerhouse. Finally, integrating infrastructural, energy, and governance changes unleashes revolutionary potential, stimulating long-term employment, export diversification, and industrial rebirth throughout West Africa.
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