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Abia State Government will formalise the promotion, patronage and usage of Akwete handmade clothes in the State, Nation and on African Continent, Governor Alex Otti has promised.
Akwete fabric is a hand-woven textile, produced in Igboland by Akwete people in Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State.
It is currently the official fabric of Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State.
Governor Otti, stated this at the weekend while hosting a delegation from Ethnorcentrique Limited, who paid him a courtesy visit.
He commended the organisation’s ongoing efforts to boosting the State’s shoe and garment industry, describing it as aligning with his administration’s vision.
Governor Otti, who acknowledged the traditional structure of the Akwaete fabric industry, described it as oligopolistic.
He highlighted the importance of applying technology to enhance the industry’s capacity, improve product quality, and reduce production costs. He also spoke of the possibility of a legislation to promote the use of Akwaete fabric.
Irunna Ejibe, founder and chief executive officer of Ethnocentrique Limited, said that the group had been in Aba since May 2024, to skill up support for 5,000 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.
