The country’s garment factories now supply clothing for just 5 per cent of the population.
Ngirente outlined the government’s strategy to expand industrial production and exports for sustainable economic growth under the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), which will run from 2024-2025 till 2028-2029.
Rwandan PM Edouard Ngirente has informed Parliament of government plans to significantly raise the contribution of garment units to domestic consumers.
The country’s garment factories now supply clothing for just 5 per cent of the population.
Ngirente outlined the strategy to expand industrial production and exports for sustainable economic growth under the National Strategy for Transformation.
The aims is to clothe all Rwandans with indigenously-made, affordable garments and the government is heavily investing in domestic garment factories, he was cited as saying by a domestic media outlet.
Following a ban on second-hand clothing, the government is encouraging private sector investment in the textile-garment sector.
The government is also working on creating a stable market for indigenously-produced apparel, which includes public school uniforms, he noted.
Ngirente said this initiative could help the country save between Rwf17 billion and Rwf20 billion.
Parliament members raised many questions, including how does the government plan to lower production costs and make indigenously-manufactured clothes more affordable and whether the country will have enough local raw material to meet demand.
Ngirente assured that fabric production would be scaled up, acknowledging the current reliance on imported fabrics for the textile industry. A new project to boost domestic fabric production would be implemented soon, he said.
A key strategy to reduce the cost of locally-made garments is economies of scale, he added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
