By Gladys A. Ekpo-Ita
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) recently conducted an industrial visit to the Calabar Garment Factory to assess the utilization of local raw materials and explore potential areas for collaboration.

The RMRDC delegation, led by Principal Scientific Officer Mr. A.E. Obot and accompanied by Senior Scientific Officer Mrs. Gladys Ekpo-Ita, aimed to understand the factory’s production processes and identify opportunities for synergy.
The team was received by Mrs. Margaret Offiong Edem, Head of the Quality Control Department, who provided a comprehensive tour of the facility. During the visit, Mrs. Edem shared insights into the factory’s operations, highlighting its capacity to produce 1,500 garments daily. She emphasized that the factory employs a 100% Nigerian workforce, underlining its commitment to local entrepreneurship and skills development.

The tour also revealed some of the challenges faced by the factory, including inconsistent power supply, unfavorable economic policies, and low patronage. These issues formed the basis of subsequent discussions on how RMRDC and the Calabar Garment Factory could collaborate to overcome these obstacles and enhance the factory’s productivity.
The visit concluded with a shared commitment to fostering a productive partnership between RMRDC and the Calabar Garment Factory, aimed at leveraging local raw materials and boosting the garment industry’s growth in the region.