Cotton has long been one of Africa’s most important agricultural commodities, supporting millions of rural jobs and generating vital export revenues. Yet the continent captures only a fraction of the wealth generated by the crop, with most production exported as raw fibre for processing elsewhere. As World Cotton Day approaches on 7 October 2026, attention is turning to how Africa can develop a more integrated cotton and textile industry .

World Cotton Day (October 7) celebrates the crop’s contribution to livelihoods, international trade and sustainable development the world over. This year’s official celebrations will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, under the theme ‘Cotton for Good: Building Prosperity Through Trade, Transformation and Partnership’.

The occasion recognises the work of the millions of farmers and textile workers employed in the industry, while drawing attention to the specific challenges facing developing countries that seek a greater share of the industry’s total value.

Cotton is one of Africa’s most important cash crops, particularly in West and Central Africa, where millions of smallholder farmers depend on it. Yet much of the economic value generated by African cotton is still captured elsewhere, so the challenge is to transform a successful agricultural export industry into a much broader engine of African prosperity.

The crop is grown commercially in more than 70 countries and supports the livelihoods of an estimated 100m families worldwide. The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) estimates global cotton lint production at 26.5m tonnes in the 2025/26 season, with Africa accounting for roughly 1.5-1.7m tonnes. China, India and Brazil are among the world’s biggest producers, while Brazil and the US dominate international exports.

Despite its relatively modest share of global cotton production, Africa is particularly important to international trade because so much of its output is exported. According to US Department of Agriculture estimates for the 2025/26 season, Benin is Africa’s biggest cotton producer, with output of about 250,000 tonnes of lint, followed by Mali (179,000t), Burkina Faso (139,000t), Côte d’Ivoire (122,000t) and Cameroon (115,000t).

Egypt is not one of the biggest producers but holds an important position through its premium long-staple and extra-long-staple varieties.

Across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, production is concentrated among smallholders cultivating relatively small plots, often alongside food crops.

African production is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in rainfall, pest infestations, insecurity and changing international prices.

In Mali, Burkina Faso and elsewhere, cotton is also closely integrated into wider agricultural systems, with farmers using income from the crop to finance food production, agricultural equipment and household expenditure.

Securing a fairer price for raw cotton would enable African producers to retain a greater proportion of cotton’s overall value. As a result, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali established the Cotton-4 (C4) coalition in 2003 to campaign for fairer conditions in global cotton markets, particularly the reduction of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies in developed economies.

Côte d’Ivoire subsequently joined the group, which is now known as Cotton-4+ (C4+), with the coalition continuing to advocate for improved market conditions and greater support for African cotton producers.

The missing links in the value chain

After harvesting, African seed cotton is sent to ginning facilities, where the fibres are separated from the seeds and compressed into bales. Cottonseed can also be processed into edible oil and animal feed, creating additional sources of revenue.

However, the continent plays a very limited role in the next stages of production: spinning yarn, weaving or knitting fabric, dyeing, finishing and garment manufacturing.

Indeed, according to World Trade Organization figures published in March 2026, about 98% of West and Central African cotton is exported as raw fibre. Much of it is shipped to Bangladesh and other Asian textile manufacturing centres, with Bangladesh importing $480.4m of Benin’s $500.9m uncombed cotton exports in 2024, according to World Bank data.

Although Benin has traditionally relied on exporting raw fibre, the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) near Cotonou is establishing an integrated textile manufacturing industry encompassing cotton processing, spinning, weaving and garment production. Construction began in 2021, and 20 industrial units are now operational.

In a statement from GDIZ in May 2025, the Chief Sourcing Officer for GEMO, Brice Berrard, said: “Producing in Benin, with locally sourced cotton and within a socially responsible framework, is a genuine driver for sustainable innovation.”

According to Afreximbank, cotton that previously generated around $40m in raw export from Benin could yield up to $800m when transformed into finished garments.

Elsewhere, Ethiopia has invested heavily in industrial parks and textile manufacturing, while Kenya has developed a substantial export-oriented garment manufacturing industry, shipping apparel worth approximately $450m to the US in 2025 under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, up from an average of $50m a year over 2000-2004.

Working with industrial park developer ARISE IIP and Swiss textile machinery manufacturer Rieter, Afreximbank has launched the Africa Textile Renaissance Plan, backed by a proposed $5bn financing programme.

The initiative aims to establish the capacity to process and utilise 500,000 tonnes of African cotton within the continent by 2029, creating up to 500,000 jobs, including in textile manufacturing, transport and fashion design, in the process.

The partners also intend to develop local machinery maintenance expertise and training centres. Former Afreximbank President Benedict Oramah commented : “By transforming Africa’s cotton into high-value textile products, we are not only driving industrialisation but also reducing dependence on imports while building a competitive export base.”

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides another opportunity to transform the industry. It can encourage the emergence of regional cotton and textile supply chains by progressively eroding barriers to trade between African economies.

Cotton grown in Benin or Mali, for example, could be spun into yarn in one country, woven into fabric in another and manufactured into garments elsewhere on the continent. Such arrangements would allow countries to specialise in different production stages rather than attempting to establish entire textile industries independently.

Yet textile manufacturers also require reliable electricity, access to finance, modern machinery, skilled employees and efficient logistics networks.

Processing facilities also need access to water, chemicals and dependable wastewater treatment systems, while high logistics costs and inconsistent border procedures can undermine the advantages of regional sourcing.

Governments therefore need to coordinate industrial policy with infrastructural investment, while ensuring that smaller businesses can become integrated into global supply chains alongside large international manufacturers.

Cotton, communities and climate resilience

The socio-economic significance of cotton extends far beyond its contribution to export earnings. In many African communities, cotton revenues help finance education, healthcare, housing and agricultural investment.

The sector also creates employment for women in cultivation, trading and garment production, although their access to land, finance and decision-making remains unequal.

The ICAC estimates that 43% of cotton farmers worldwide are women. Expanding Africa’s textile and garment manufacturing capacity offers further opportunities to create paid employment for women beyond the agricultural sector.

Climate change is increasing the challenges facing the cotton sector. Most African cotton cultivation relies on rainfall, exposing farmers to increasingly unpredictable growing conditions. Drought, flooding and changing rainfall patterns, plus the impact these have on pest numbers, threaten both yields and household incomes.

Improving access to climate information, resilient seed varieties, soil management techniques and appropriate irrigation can help producers adapt.

Access to affordable finance is also essential, particularly for smallholders who cannot easily absorb the financial consequences of even a single failed harvest.

Sustainability in the textile manufacturing process is also becoming increasingly important across the industry. Cotton is a natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre, but its environmental impact varies massively according to cultivation and processing practices.

Water consumption, pesticide use, energy demand and textile waste all require careful management. Initiatives promoting improved farming methods, traceability and responsible sourcing can help African producers demonstrate the environmental and social credentials increasingly demanded by international buyers.

The challenge is to ensure that sustainability requirements create opportunities for smallholders rather than additional costs that exclude them from global markets.

Outlook

Many connected to the African cotton industry are optimistic. Afreximbank President George Elombi commented: “Within 15 to 20 years, Africa will be out of the cotton export business, and fully into exports of textiles and clothing, ensuring more money stays to improve lives and livelihoods across the continent.”

Africa’s cotton industry stands at an important crossroads. The continent already possesses substantial agricultural expertise, established export networks, plentiful labour resources and growing domestic consumer markets.

Its limitations lie in its capacity to convert raw cotton into finished products at scale. Partnerships between governments, farmers’ organisations, development finance institutions and private manufacturers can help close this gap.

Investment in skills, technology and infrastructure will be particularly important if African producers are to move into higher-value segments of the international textile industry.

Cotton can contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable agriculture and industrial development, but its full potential will only be realised when more value is retained within producing countries.

For Africa, building prosperity through cotton ultimately means connecting its fields to its factories, its manufacturers to regional markets and its farmers to a more equitable global trading system.

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