Africa: A Senegalese Factory Proves Africa Can Spin Its Own Cotton - Can It Find the Money to Keep Going?

What the report says

AllAfrica reports that Domitexka Saloum, a cotton-spinning mill in Kaolack, Senegal, has restarted production and is being presented by its managers as evidence that more of Africa’s cotton can be processed locally. The plant, owned by Serigne Mboup of Groupe CCBM and managed operationally by General Administrator Mass Thiam, turns Senegalese cotton into yarn in a region that sits within West Africa’s cotton belt.

The central challenge, according to the report, is not demand or technical capacity but financing. Senegal is said to process only about 5% of its cotton harvest, with most exported in raw form before returning as higher-value textiles or clothing. Domitexka previously shut down after running short of capital, and Thiam told AllAfrica that textile manufacturing needs loan terms of roughly seven to twelve years, while many commercial lenders offer shorter maturities, high rates and demanding collateral requirements.

The mill’s restart was supported by a €5.7 million grant from KfW, Germany’s development bank, through its Invest for Employment initiative. Domitexka has also formed a partnership with Aïssa Dione Tissus and is in discussions with the International Finance Corporation about future backing. Its stated fundraising goal is close to €50 million over 10 years to modernize equipment, add production lines, improve governance and meet buyer expectations on traceability.

The case matters beyond one factory because it reflects a wider African industrial problem: the continent grows significant cotton but captures little of the value created by spinning, weaving and garment production. AllAfrica frames Domitexka as a working example of the opportunity, while also underscoring that long-term, affordable capital remains a major barrier.