Ahead of its March date
of commissioning, the United Kingdom has expressed its readiness to train the needed manpower for the take off of the Calabar Garment factory.
British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright disclosed this while inspecting ongoing work at the project site.
The envoy whose country is known for great expertise in garment making, especially in embroidery, lauded the efforts of Governor Ben Ayade in initiating the project, maintaining that he would be willing to bring in expatriates from Britain to train its workforce in some critical areas of textile making to build the needed capacity and create the desired jobs.
The High Commissioner said the factory would provide huge employment opportunities that could be translated into enormous wealth creation amongst youths.
In his words, “like I told the Governor, when we met in his office, we are working on details of how to move in as quickly as possible to kick start the training, by bringing in expatriates.
According to the High Commissioner, “with the right kind of will and matching the right expertise, we can really make a difference, though talks are still in the preliminary stages, we are determined to push forward a bit.”
Arkwright who had earlier paid a courtesy call on the Governor in his office said he was visiting the State for the first time, adding that he had been talking to Governor Ayade about the UK helping in creating employment opportunities and growth through aggressive entrepreneurship training programmes. He promised to sustain Britain’s cordial relationship with the State.
Responding, Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade who had earlier received the delegation in his office, informed Arkwright of his administration’s signature projects, with an urgent focus on the garment factory.
He noted that the United Kingdom was renowned for its embroidery, stressing, “the partnership with the UK is one we are going for excellent and first class expertise. This is a strong partnership and we are hopeful that with strong commitments on training and guaranteed technical competence, Nigeria can maximize her potential on the garment subsector of the economy.”

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar