Sericulture as a Tool for Sustainable National Development in Nigeria- The Way Forward

The present review article proposed sericulture as a viable, sustainable development plan for Nigeria and as a path to diversifying the Nigerian economy away from an oil-based economy to that which is more balanced and stable. The paper identified poverty alleviation as the foremost Sustainable Development Goal for Nigeria. The reasons for Nigeria’s failure at getting rid of abject poverty in spite of decades of oil wealth were advanced. Sericulture, the agro-based business of silk production and processing was presented as a model that fits into the UNDP-identified components of a robust agribusiness plan for Nigeria. The paper concluded that a renaissance of silk production in Nigeria is possible and that while the focus on Bombyx mori sericulture should be given priority, research into the development of African wild silk moths of the indigenous (Nigerian) Anaphe sp. should be encouraged. It was recommended that collaborative efforts between government, the private sector and the academia should be actively pursued in order to develop Nigerian Sericulture. Furthermore, policies focused on the local utilization of silk and integration of this into the development of the entire textile industry was recommended.