Benin: How Benin Is Turning Its Cotton Wealth Into An Industrial Economy
[Bird Story Agency] Benin is using its position as West Africa's largest cotton producer to pursue a bigger economic prize: processing more of what it grows at home. At the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), cotton is being turned into fabrics and garments, creating jobs and retaining value that previously left the country with the trade of raw fibres. Its progress offers an emerging model for…
Benin is harnessing its status as West Africa's leading cotton producer to transform itself into an industrialized economy. At the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), located about 45 kilometers north of Cotonou, the country is processing its cotton into fabrics and garments, generating jobs and retaining value that would otherwise be exported as raw fibers.
Young workers like team leader Inès Alowakinnou are gaining experience in an industry that barely existed a few years ago. GDIZ serves as a model for industrialization across the continent, turning cotton wealth into factories, formal employment, and a more diversified economy.
According to the IMF 2024 Country Report, Benin's exports have primarily consisted of commodities like cotton and cashews, accounting for more than a third of total exports between 2016 and 2021. At GDIZ, cotton undergoes various stages, including ginning, spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, garment production, branding, and retail.
This process imbues greater economic value to the crop. Létondji Beheton, CEO of GDIZ, explains that Benin has decided to take matters into its own hands to change the traditional paradigm of exporting raw commodities without any value addition.
GDIZ is a public-private partnership between Benin and Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) that spans 1,640 hectares, with 400 hectares allocated to its first phase. Construction began in 2021. While cotton and textiles are central to its operations, GDIZ also aims to process locally produced cashew nuts, soybeans, maize, and other agricultural commodities, as well as mineral resources like clay, kaolin, and granite.
The zone offers investors advantages such as reliable power, factory space, port access, and workforce training programs. GDIZ has attracted over €1.3 billion in investments, created 16,000 direct jobs in the textile industry, and reached a capacity of 40,000 tons of fiber processing and 24 million garments annually.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
