Assessment of Import Substitution Opportunities in Nigeria’s Technical Textile Sector

Nigeria's dependence on imported technical textiles, including geotextiles, medical textiles, protective workwear fabrics, and industrial filtration materials, generates significant foreign exchange expenditure and limits domestic value addition in the textile sector. This study assesses import substitution opportunities in Nigeria's technical textile sector through analysis of import trade data, domestic production capability mapping, and market demand characterisation. Import data from the Nigeria Customs Service covering a five-year period were analysed to identify the highest-value technical textile import categories by volume and value. Structured interviews with technical textile distributors, end-user industries including construction, oil and gas, and healthcare, and existing domestic producers were conducted to assess demand characteristics and domestic supply gap. Production capability mapping evaluated existing polymer and textile manufacturing facilities across South West, North West, and South South Nigeria for conversion to technical textile production. Results identify geotextiles for road construction, disposable protective workwear, and industrial filtration fabrics as the three import categories with the greatest substitution potential, collectively representing an estimated 42 billion naira in annual import expenditure. Domestic production capability exists in nonwoven and woven fabric production but lacks technical finishing capabilities and product certification for end-use applications. The study recommends targeted industrial policy support including technical textile equipment financing, domestic technical standards development, and linkage programmes between polymer manufacturers and end-user industries to catalyse import substitution in identified priority segments. Keywords: import substitution, technical textiles, Nigeria, geotextiles, industrial policy