In Senegal, a historic textile factory reopens its doors in Kaolack

Idy Kanté has been working in the textile sector in Senegal for thirty years. He works at ” Guinea “, a local worker’s jargon expression for dyeing lines. The recent announcement of the reopening of the Domitexka factory near Kaolack, 200 kilometers southeast of Dakar, delights him. Since the 1990s, like all employees of the few Senegalese companies in the sector, he has only worked intermittently, from site closure to temporary reopening. But this time, it’s the right one, Mr. Kanté wants to believe.

He is not the only optimist. On July 29, the evening organized to announce the relaunch of the plant in Kahone, in the suburbs of Kaolack, attracted two ministers: Serigne Gueye Diop, in charge of industry, and Mabouba Diagne, responsible for agriculture. Serigne Gueye Diop had then celebrated ” a strong symbol of the revitalization of the Senegalese economy ” The objective displayed by Babacar Mbaye, the general director of Domitexka: several production lines and around 300 employees by the beginning of 2025.

On the one hand, Senegal produces cotton. A little over 16,000 tons in 2023. On the other hand, the country is known for its renowned tailors and designers. There are approximately 61,000 sewing workshops across the country. Between the two, a missing link: no modern spinning mill capable of supplying the market. Only a few artisanal spinning workshops remain. The National Statistics Agency regularly highlights a ” underperformance ” of the textile industry which, in fact, almost no longer exists, and which forces Senegal to import up to several hundred billion CFA francs worth of fabric annually.

The Domitexka factory is due to launch its first production line in October. We will start with the scarves (scarves) “, explains Babacar Mbaye. His products will go to Algeria and Mali. ” For a long time, the Tuaregs of the sub-region wore scarves produced in Senegal “, continues the boss of the company. ” Guinea “, the indigo dyeing line, should quickly employ around a hundred people.

A lack of processing chains

For the moment, in the 30,000 square meters of hangar of the Kaolack factory, it is mainly mechanics and construction workers who are busy. They repair, oil and update industrial machines and a huge boiler that is supposed to run on peanut shells, widely cultivated in the region. Production costs are a fundamental problem for Senegalese industry, particularly energy prices. So we try to be innovative. “, explains Babacar Mbaye. But what everyone is waiting for impatiently is the spinning. ” This is at the heart of our project: transforming local cotton, making thread, then weaving it. “, says the factory manager. Enough to supply the country’s many tailors.

The lack of processing and finishing chains for the raw materials produced has been a recurring problem in Senegal – as in other African countries – for years. Massively elected in the first round of the presidential election at the end of March, by defending a sovereignist line, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made industrialization an important promise of their program. Domitexka is therefore an example to highlight.

The reopening of the factory owes much to Germany, which invested in the project, as well as to the African Guarantee Fund (Fagace), which provided a valuable loan guarantee. The businessman and mayor of Kaolack, Serigne Mboup, also got involved in the financial package. The total launch budget exceeds 5 billion CFA francs. The State, for its part, graciously made the factory’s machinery available. All of them come from various private companies that closed and were pre-empted by the authorities. The Domitexka project has the appearance of a rescue: the machines, unused, were wearing out and rusting. The equipment is dated but efficient. “, Mr. Mbaye tempers. Part of the initial investments are dedicated to the refurbishment of these impressive European machines with their beautiful appearance, allowing spinning, embroidery or dyeing.

A textile industry in decline

In the second half of the 20th century, Senegal had a strong textile industry. This was the era of the African Dyeing, Printing and Bleaching Company (Sotiba), the former flagship of the sector, ” who made the Senegalese proud until his slow death in the 2000s”recalls economist El Hadji Mounirou Ndiaye. It was hard but we produced large quantities of fabric.remembers Malick Ndiaye, a worker who worked at Sotiba more than forty years ago. There were villas for executives around the factory, and the workers lived in a city just for them. “Then from the 1980s to 2000, the sector declined. Hundreds of jobs were lost. The fault, according to El Hadji Mounirou Ndiaye, lies with policies that were too liberal and not protective enough.

A quarter of a century later, Mr. Mbaye denounces the dumping of Asian giants or the attitude of Europe, which dumps tons of second-hand products on the Senegalese market. An observer, under the condition of anonymity, also points out the structural flaws of the sector, such as the poor maintenance of machines and the poor management of companies in the sector.

To ensure that his production is sold, the general manager of Domitexka intends to offer a personalized material to Senegalese designers. He is also banking on the patriotism that is in vogue among consumers. The fashion sector is dynamic and “made in Senegal” is increasingly attracting young people “, he analyzes. Aïssa Dione, famous creator and activist of Senegalese know-how in textiles, supports the project in the form of advice. She advocates a diversification of activities. ” It’s not just clothes: linens, curtains… Here are the other types of products to aim for ” she says.

M^me Dione also advocates ” a policy of sovereignty ” According to her, the State must set an example by consuming Senegalese products and ordering clothes for police officers or sheets for hospitals from the new factory. For his part, Idy Kanté is eager to pass on his working know-how to young people who will join the factory. “Spinning Senegalese cotton to make Senegalese fabrics, I hope they will be proud to practice this profession!”he concluded.