Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti says his administration is considering the possibility of a legislation to promote the use of Akwaete fabric in the state.
Governor Otti who was speaking on Friday when a delegation from Ethnorcentrique Limited visited him said government will formalize the promotion, patronage and usage of Akwete handmade clothes in the State, Nation and African continent.
While acknowledging the traditional structure of the Akwaete fabric industry, he stressed the importance of applying technology to enhance the industry’s capacity, improve product quality, and reduce production costs.
He commended the organisation’s ongoing efforts to boost the State’s shoe and garment industry, describing it as aligning with his administration’s vision.
“The Akwaete market looks like an oligopolistic market just like you said; where daughters – mothers and grandmothers handle the business. It doesn’t go beyond that, we need to find a way to expand it.
“While not deriding what they have done, we can always improve by applying technology, maybe cost of production may become cheaper by the time you have large scale production.
“We can also pass a legislation that ensures that people use it and it must be available for people to get it,” the Governor noted.
Governor Otti called for further discussions with the team to achieve the common goal of the government and the organisation and thanked them for choosing Aba for the fashion programme.
Briefing the Governor, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ethnocentrique Limited, Mrs. Irunna Ejibe said that the group has been in Aba since May last year to skill up support for 5000 young people and activate the local economy in a programme tagged ‘Fashion Future Programme’.
She said that Abia State was chosen because of the place and status of Aba as the heart of fashion in West Africa, adding that, there is now a visionary government in Abia that came prepared to change the story of the State.
In his presentation, the Institutional Capacity Enhancement Consultant of Ethnocentrique Limited, Mr. Nelson Okwonna, disclosed that 25 MSME fashion clusters have been created with 2000 MSMEs engaged and are being supported already as they target 4000.
He requested among other things that the Governor grants an executive order for preference of public procurement of the MSME products.
The fashion show holds in Aba on 30th of April, 2025.
