Fashion
Tanzania eyes textile transformation to unlock untapped potentials
However, despite producing high-quality cotton, Tanzania is able to capture only a fraction of the sector’s economic value as most of the value-added processing, from spinning to weaving to garment manufacturing, happens abroad, limiting job creation, industrial growth, and export earnings.
According to reports, for years, the country’s textile industry has struggled under structural inefficiencies, outdated infrastructure, and weak integration with agriculture. High production costs, ageing machinery, competition from cheap imports etc have eroded competitiveness. This has prevented the sector from realising its full potential as a driver of industrialisation, employment, and diversified export earnings.