The Textile and Clothing Institute of Botswana (TCIB) established last year to close the skills gap in the textiles and clothing sector is underused mainly as the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) stopped sponsoring students to study for certificate courses, said TCIB founder, Mohammad Ghafoor.

Accredited by the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA), the TCIB institution currently offers one-year certificate courses in cutting, embroidery, sewing, garment assembly, design and pattern making, commercial sewing skills and clothing manufacture.

With five classrooms, two training halls, a workshop area with more than 50 textile and clothing production machines and a media centre developing and issuing training materials, the TCIB has been lying idle since its inception. The institution has the capacity to enroll around 300 students.

Ghafoor said that with the shortage of skills having a negative impact on the textiles and clothing sector, TCIB is ideally placed to offer programmes that are designed by clothing industry professionals to up-skill candidates with knowledge for them to thrive in the industry.

TCIB has the potential to rekindle opportunities for local clothing manufacturers to export their products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). If given proper support, TCIB will be a renowned training and technical service provider to cater for the growth and needs of the textile and clothing industry.

He further stated that the institution would also help to sustain the employment of many skilled workers who are presently lacking, and have been hampering the country from developing the textile industry so that it can end up exporting to the US through AGOA.