On 21 September 2026, Idriss Adjagba Ichola, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in the Republic of Benin, visited Daugavpils. The programme of the visit was prepared by the Latvian Textile Industry Association. Over the course of the day the delegation visited two educational institutions of the city and several garment manufacturers.

The Honorary Consul is a businessman and a designer himself. This determined the content of the visit: the programme covered the training process, production processes and a review of the quality of work.

Daugavpils University and the Technology and Tourism Technical School

The visit began at the educational institutions. Daugavpils University and Daugavpils Technology and Tourism Technical School are the two institutions that train specialists for the sector in the city. The technical school building on Mendeļejeva Street combines several programmes under one roof: garment making and styling specialists, electricians, renewable energy technicians and computer technicians.

The programme included a tour of the training workshops and a review of the work of the pupils and students.

The training level of pupils and students

The Honorary Consul reviewed the work of the pupils and students and assessed their level of training and their readiness for placements.

For the association this assessment is a substantive one. The flow of placements and of new specialists into companies is one of our standing lines of work. We address it as part of the member initiatives of the association, which organise cooperation between educational institutions and textile sector companies, including the flow of trainees, study visits and support for dual education.

Garment manufacturers

After the educational institutions the delegation visited the garment manufacturers of Daugavpils. Production processes and the quality of the work were reviewed. The Honorary Consul was satisfied with the standard of work he saw.

The sector infrastructure in the city

The shared conclusion of the visit concerns the textile infrastructure of the city. Three elements are present in Daugavpils at the same time: educational institutions that train specialists, operating garment manufacturers, and a workforce with practical skills.

It was noted in the discussion that this combination gives the city a reserve for growth, and that the development of the sector in Daugavpils does not have to be built from zero.

Projects in the textile sector were discussed separately.

Participants of the visit

On behalf of the association the visit was attended by our chairman Ilja Zlenko, partners of the association and Natalja Iljina, specialist and partner of the association.