Cynthia Ezegwu
The Federal Government has inaugurated a working committee to unveil the Confederation of African Fashion, also known as Afroliganza, an initiative aimed at revolutionising Africa’s fashion industry and boosting the continent’s share of the global fashion market.
This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by Nneka Ikem, Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
According to the statement, the Confederation seeks to expand Africa’s fashion economy from $30 billion to $500 billion and increase the continent’s share of the global fashion market from 1.2% to a significantly higher percentage.
The committee, made up of key stakeholders from the ministry and the creative sector, is tasked with developing policies to drive industrialisation, create jobs, and boost the creative industry’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP.
Inaugurating the committee on Monday in Abuja, Musawa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaborating with the private sector to achieve the goals of the initiative.
“We are committed to working with the private sector to deliver on our promises and create opportunities for Nigerian creatives. This committee will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our creative industry and ensuring that it contributes to the nation’s economic growth,” she said.
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Musawa added that the Confederation will serve as a unified platform for African countries to develop and implement policies that support designers, artisans, and entrepreneurs across the continent.
The project coordinator and founder of Afroliganza, Dr. Lai Labode, said the Confederation will introduce a Fashion Extravaganza, a continental showcase where African countries will compete and display their creativity, with the maiden edition scheduled to take place in Abuja and Egypt in 2026.
Labode noted that the initiative would also promote raw material processing — including cotton, leather, wood, and metal — to strengthen the entire fashion value chain while promoting African cultural heritage and fostering unity through fashion.