Benin pushes cotton value-addition by turning raw fiber into locally made garments

Benin, Africa’s top cotton producer, is shifting from exporting raw bales to manufacturing finished garments, a move backed by official policy that favors value-added exports. Fatoumata Dosso’s DAF Collection showcases “Made in Benin” clothing that celebrates northern textile traditions and creates jobs for local women. The public-private Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone, created with Arise IIP, now handles about 40,000 tons of cotton annually, turning it into 7-10 million garments and contributing to a reduction in the country’s current-account deficit.

Over 180,000 cotton producers organized in more than 2,200 village cooperatives underpin the sector, which supports over two million rural residents. Smallholders like Toussaint Bapetem find cotton more profitable than maize, using earnings to repay debts and fund education. Weavers such as Chabi Baké earn modest incomes that enable household improvements, illustrating the broader social impact of the initiative.