Crunch Times News

By Blessing Okola 

The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) has stepped up efforts to establish a continent-wide framework for the fashion and textile industry, with Nigeria leading the initiative and Rwanda moving towards becoming the second African country to formalise participation.

The initiative, known as the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter, marked its first anniversary on November 5, with the organisation announcing progress towards securing wider government support, industrial partnerships and recognition by the African Union.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos, during the opening of CANEX WKND 2026, CAFA President, Aare Prof. Lai Labode, said the Charter was designed to address structural challenges limiting the growth of Africa's fashion industry.

Nigeria became the first country in the world to sign the Charter on November 5, 2025, through the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.

Labode said Africa's fashion industry had enormous economic potential but continued to struggle with inadequate financing, limited manufacturing capacity, lack of recognised professional certification and weak industrial infrastructure.

He estimated that Africa's fashion economy was worth about $60 billion, despite having the potential to reach $500 billion, adding that the continent remained heavily dependent on imported finished textiles and garments.

According to him, 37 of Africa's 54 countries produce cotton, yet the continent exports about $15.5 billion in textiles while importing approximately $23.1 billion in textiles, clothing and footwear.

He argued that the Charter would provide governments with a policy framework to strengthen local production, establish industry standards, protect intellectual property and ensure that more economic value from African fashion remained on the continent.

"The world has never doubted Africa's talent. It has simply never had to pay Africa for it. The Charter exists to change who gets paid," he said.

On continental expansion, Labode disclosed that CAFA's Rwanda chapter was already operating in Kigali, with the country making progress towards becoming the second nation globally and the first in East Africa to formalise participation.

He added that discussions were ongoing with Liberia, while engagements with Ghana were expected during CANEX WKND 2026, where representatives from between five and 10 African countries were expected to explore participation.

The organisation is also pursuing a pathway to secure African Union recognition of the Charter through Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As part of efforts to strengthen the industry's manufacturing capacity, CAFA is engaging partners in Austria and Turkey on plans to establish a central textile factory that would serve African countries.

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, who attended the anniversary and performed the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, said the initiative would help transform African fashion from a cultural expression into a structured economic sector capable of generating employment.

She noted that although African designers had gained international recognition, the industry lacked common standards and institutional structures to support large-scale production.

Musawa said the Federal Government signed the Charter because of its potential to strengthen the creative economy and create opportunities for designers, manufacturers and other industry professionals.

She expressed optimism about the employment opportunities the initiative would generate, stressing that its success would depend on translating the agreement into practical action.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is scheduled to host the inaugural African Global Fashion Games in 2028.

The competition will bring participating countries together to compete in seven fashion-related disciplines covering design, craftsmanship, textile performance and innovation.

The Games are expected to be held every three years, alternating between Africa and other parts of the world, with participating countries contributing to a collective World Cloth.

Labode said the ultimate measure of the Charter's success would be increased country participation, stronger local textile manufacturing and greater retention of economic value within Africa.

The CAFA exhibition stand at CANEX WKND 2026, holding from November 5 to 8 in Lagos, is providing ambassadors, government delegations and industry stakeholders with access to the Charter and information on how their countries can participate.