By Brandon Moss

Africa’s cotton industry is at a crossroads. The continent is a major producer of the crop and an important supplier to global textile markets, yet much of the value generated by its cotton is still captured outside Africa.

World Cotton Day, observed on October 7, provides an opportunity to look beyond cotton production and examine what Africa could gain by connecting its farms more closely to factories, textile manufacturers and export markets.

The 2026 World Cotton Day celebrations are being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, under the theme “Cotton for Good: Building Prosperity Through Trade, Transformation and Partnership”. The theme reflects a challenge that is particularly relevant to Africa: how to turn agricultural production into broader economic development.

Cotton supports millions of farming households across Africa, particularly in West and Central Africa. The crop provides income for smallholder farmers and contributes significantly to export earnings in countries including Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon.

Global cotton lint production is estimated at 26.5 million tonnes for the 2025/26 season, according to the International Cotton Advisory Committee, with Africa accounting for roughly 1.5 million to 1.7 million tonnes.

Benin is currently Africa’s largest cotton producer, with estimated lint production of about 250,000 tonnes, followed by Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon. Egypt, although a smaller producer, retains an important position in premium long-staple and extra-long-staple cotton.

The problem is not simply how much cotton Africa produces. It is what happens to that cotton after it leaves the farm.

From Cotton Fields to Textile Factories

After harvesting, seed cotton is typically sent to ginneries, where the fibre is separated from the seed and compressed into bales. Cottonseed itself can generate additional value through oil and animal-feed production.

The bigger opportunity lies further along the value chain.

Spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing and garment manufacturing remain relatively underdeveloped across much of the continent. According to World Trade Organization figures published in 2026, around 98% of West and Central African cotton is exported as raw fibre.

This means African farmers can produce the raw material while companies elsewhere capture much of the value created through processing and manufacturing.

Benin illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity. The country has historically exported much of its cotton as raw fibre, with Bangladesh among its major buyers. But the development of the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone near Cotonou is beginning to change that model.

The industrial zone is developing an integrated textile ecosystem covering cotton processing, spinning, weaving and garment manufacturing. Construction began in 2021, and 20 industrial units are now operational.

The potential difference in value is substantial. Afreximbank has estimated that cotton previously generating around $40 million in raw exports from Benin could potentially generate as much as $800 million when transformed into finished garments.

That is the kind of transformation African cotton-producing countries need to pursue.

Building Regional Cotton Supply Chains

Africa does not necessarily need every country to build a complete textile industry from cotton farming through to finished clothing.

The African Continental Free Trade Area creates an opportunity for countries to specialise in different stages of the value chain.

Cotton grown in Mali or Benin could, for example, be processed into yarn in one country, woven into fabric in another and manufactured into garments elsewhere before being sold across African markets or exported internationally.

Such regional specialisation could make textile production more competitive while spreading investment and employment across multiple economies.

There are already signs of movement in this direction.

Ethiopia has invested heavily in industrial parks and textile manufacturing, while Kenya has developed an export-oriented garment industry. Kenyan apparel exports to the United States reached approximately $450 million in 2025 under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, demonstrating the potential for African manufacturing to compete in international markets.

Afreximbank, industrial park developer ARISE IIP and Swiss textile machinery manufacturer Rieter have also launched the Africa Textile Renaissance Plan, supported by a proposed $5 billion financing programme.

The initiative aims to develop capacity to process and utilise 500,000 tonnes of African cotton within the continent by 2029, with the potential to create up to 500,000 jobs across textile manufacturing, transport and related industries.

The initiative also highlights the importance of technical skills, machinery maintenance and training if Africa is to build textile industries that can operate competitively over the long term.

Infrastructure Will Determine Success

Producing more textiles locally will require far more than additional factories.

Manufacturers need reliable electricity, modern machinery, affordable finance, skilled workers, efficient transport and predictable border procedures. Textile processing also requires dependable water supplies, chemicals and wastewater treatment systems.

These challenges remain significant across many African markets.

High logistics costs can quickly undermine the advantages of regional sourcing, while unreliable power supplies can increase production costs and make manufacturers less competitive against established Asian textile hubs.

Governments therefore need to align agricultural, industrial and trade policies with investment in infrastructure.

Small and medium-sized businesses must also be brought into these emerging supply chains. If textile development is dominated entirely by large industrial players, much of the potential economic impact on rural communities could be lost.

Climate Adds Another Challenge

Africa’s cotton opportunity is also increasingly tied to climate resilience.

Much of the continent’s cotton is rain-fed, leaving farmers exposed to drought, flooding and increasingly unpredictable rainfall. Changes in pest patterns can add further pressure to yields and household incomes.

Improving access to climate information, resilient seed varieties, soil-management practices and appropriate irrigation will become increasingly important.

Affordable finance is equally critical. Smallholder farmers often have limited capacity to absorb the financial impact of a failed harvest, making access to credit and agricultural risk-management tools essential.

Sustainability is also becoming a more important consideration for international textile buyers.

Cotton is renewable and biodegradable, but its environmental footprint depends heavily on how it is produced and processed. Water use, pesticide application, energy consumption, wastewater and textile waste all require greater attention.

For African producers, better traceability and responsible production practices could become a competitive advantage rather than simply another compliance requirement.

Keeping More Value in Africa

Cotton already supports rural livelihoods across the continent. Its potential, however, extends far beyond farming.

More local processing could create employment in ginning, spinning, weaving, garment manufacturing, logistics, machinery maintenance and design. It could also increase foreign-exchange earnings while creating stronger domestic and regional markets for African manufacturers.

Women stand to benefit significantly. Women account for an estimated 43% of cotton farmers globally and are also heavily represented in textile and garment manufacturing. Expanding opportunities beyond primary production could create new sources of formal employment and income.

The challenge is therefore not to produce cotton simply for the sake of increasing volumes. Africa needs to capture a larger share of the value generated by the crop.

The continent already has the farmers, the raw material, established export markets and a growing consumer population. What remains is to build the industrial capacity that connects those assets.

Africa’s cotton future may ultimately be determined not by how much fibre it produces, but by how much of that fibre it can transform into yarn, fabric, clothing and other high-value products.

For the continent’s cotton-producing countries, the goal should be clear: move from exporting cotton to exporting the products made from cotton.

That shift could turn one of Africa’s oldest agricultural commodities into a powerful driver of industrialisation, employment and export growth.