by Erhire Erheriene
The origin of wax print textiles in Africa dates back to the 19th century when Dutch merchants, travelling between Indonesia and Europe, began stopping in sub-Saharan Africa to trade, resupply, and refuel. Initially targeting the Indonesian market, the Dutch found a much higher demand for their wax print cloth in Africa. In response, they adapted their designs and colours to better suit the cultural tastes and preferences of African consumers. As a result, the fabric quickly gained popularity, becoming an integral part of West African fashion and culture.
Known as Ankara in Africa, the wax print fabric is a vibrant, patterned textile made using a distinctive process. Copper rollers wrapped in wax are used to imprint designs onto both sides of the fabric. The fabric is then dipped in indigo dye, which stains only the areas not covered by the wax, creating a vivid blue. After the fabric dries and the wax is removed, additional colours and intricate details are added using stamps or blocks. This combination of wax-resist dyeing and stamping results in rich, layered designs that reflect both tradition and craftsmanship. The fabric can vary in quality depending on manufacturing processes. The producer’s name, product details, and design registration number are printed on the selvage, ensuring the protection of the design and confirming the fabric’s quality.
The name “Ankara” is derived from the Hausa term for “Accra”, as used by Nigerian Hausa traders, referring to the Ghanaian city that was the original hub for African print fabrics. Ghana played a key role in introducing the fabric to Africa, while Nigeria, as one of the largest producers and consumers of Ankara, helped propel its popularity. By the 1960s, following independence, Ankara became a symbol of African heritage and pride, solidifying its place in the cultural and fashion landscape of the continent.
The African wax print textile, originally imported from Holland by the global textile giant Vlisco, has become an iconic part of African culture. Some of the most stunning African wax prints are produced by Vlisco, whose brands—such as Hollandais, Java, Super-wax, and Voila—have found their primary market in Africa. Countries like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Ghana are among the top consumers of Vlisco fabrics, and the brand maintains strong operations in countries including Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over time, other international and local textile companies have emerged in the region, contributing to the growing textile industry in Africa.
In Nigeria, key players in the production of African wax prints include United Nigerian Textile PLC, Nichemtex, Sunflag Nigeria Limited, and African Textile Manufacturers Ltd. Historically, Nigeria was the largest textile producer in West Africa, with the sector once serving as the country’s largest employer and a major part of its manufacturing industry. Before 1997, Nigeria boasted the second-largest textile industry in Africa, after Egypt, with more than 250 active factories. However, the Nigerian textile industry now faces significant challenges, including unreliable power supply, insufficient raw materials, competition from cheap imports and smuggled foreign textiles, and outdated machinery with a lack of spare parts. Additionally, the distribution of Ankara fabrics is largely dominated by the informal market, where numerous small-scale traders and middlemen are involved, complicating the industry’s supply chain.
But the major challenge for the Ankara textile industry is competition from cheap, smuggled imports. These counterfeit textiles are not made using the traditional wax-resist dyeing method but are high-velocity prints produced quickly and cheaply with chemical dyes. They mimic the colour bleeding and dye-resistant effects of authentic fabrics but at a fraction of the cost. Often smuggled to avoid taxes, these textiles, mostly from China, falsely carry labels like “Made in Nigeria” or “Made as Nigeria” and fake quality markings, misleading consumers and undermining local production.
Empowering Africa’s fashion and textile industries
At the recently concluded CANEX WKND 2024 (Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus Weekend) held at SAFEX in Algiers, Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, delivered a keynote address on “Collective Disruption: Strengthening the Fashion and Textile Ecosystem”.
In her speech, Musawa stressed the critical importance of empowering Africa’s fashion and textile industries, highlighting iconic fabrics like adire, kente, bogolan, and ankara as central to the continent’s pride, heritage, and identity. She pointed out the troubling fact that nearly 90 per cent of the ankara consumed in Africa is imported, resulting in a $3 billion annual loss to foreign manufacturers. Musawa called for a shift towards boosting local production capacities to ensure that the economic benefits of Africa’s dynamic fashion sector stay within the continent.
The minister also emphasized the immense economic potential of the fashion industry, noting that it is valued globally at $2.5 trillion and has the capacity to create millions of jobs in Africa, particularly for women and youth. She cited examples such as Nigeria’s fashion industry, which contributes $6.1 billion to the GDP, and South Africa’s textile sector, which employs over 140,000 people.
To unlock this potential, Musawa revealed that her ministry is working on initiatives like “Design Nexus” and “Destination 2030”, aimed at establishing manufacturing hubs and providing craftsmanship training programmes across Africa. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to elevate Nigeria’s arts, culture, and creative economy on the global stage. During the impactful ministerial roundtable, she also emphasised unlocking the potential of Africa creative industries through strategic partnership innovation and policy.
The Ankara textile industry remains a significant economic sector that needs to be sustained with the right investments and policies.
The government must work together with stakeholders to prevent the threat facing the textile manufacturing sector from leading to its extinction.
