For the past 15 years, MozTex, an initiative by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), has been dedicated to revitalizing Mozambique’s textile industry—a sector where the country once held a dominant position in southern Africa.
“We were approached at the state level to have the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) replicate our successful experience in Kenya within Mozambique’s textile sector… This is a long-term investment project,” said Rui Carimo, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Mozambique Representative Adjunct, during an interview with Lusa.
MozTex commenced its operations 15 years ago, rebuilding from the remnants of the former TEXLOM factory. Once the largest textile company in Mozambique and a significant player in southern Africa, TEXLOM was located in Matola, near the Mozambican capital. It was initially focused on producing textiles for the domestic market and the former socialist bloc of Eastern Europe, with which Mozambique had strong ties since its liberation struggle. However, TEXLOM eventually collapsed, leaving its infrastructure neglected for nearly a decade.
“The first major investment was rehabilitating the infrastructure. The factory yielded negative results for the first 12 years,” Rui Carimo explained.
A Workforce Built from Scratch
One of the biggest challenges MozTex faced was building a skilled workforce from the ground up. The Aga Khan Network invested over six million dollars to rebuild the Texlom factory, but it was the training of the labor force that proved to be the most crucial task.
“We had to train people, and that effort has paid off. Today, we have a workforce of 1,300 employees, all trained by the company,” Rui Carimo highlighted.
Among these trained workers is Carla António, who began her career at MozTex as a simple employee and has since risen to the position of team leader.
“I was trained by MozTex in 2009 and later trained to teach others… It’s challenging to train people because there isn’t a textile industry here in Mozambique. Most people come without even knowing how to thread a needle,” Carla António shared with Lusa.
Like Carla, hundreds of other women—who make up the majority of the company’s workforce—have been trained after being hired. Many of these women have gone on to start personal projects, augmenting their income outside the factory.
“I knew nothing when I started, but the company gave me the chance to learn. Today, I even have my own sewing machine at home and take on some side work. I didn’t go to school, but I learned a trade here,” said Celeste Alexandre, another MozTex employee.
Growing International Presence
MozTex has since established itself on the international market, producing 5.8 million garments annually, with the majority being exported to South Africa.
“Our production has been steadily increasing. From 2022 to 2023 alone, we increased production by 1.5 million garments, bringing our total to 5.8 million garments, all destined for South Africa,” concluded Rui Carimo, the Aga Khan Development Network’s deputy diplomatic representative.
MozTex’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of long-term investment and commitment, as it continues to rebuild and empower Mozambique’s textile industry.
