Nigeria announces adoption of Afroliganza Vision to drive Africa’s fashion, creative economy
The Federal Government of Nigeria has adopted the Afroliganza Vision, a continental initiative designed to unite African nations through fashion, culture, and creative enterprise.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, announced this at a world press conference on the African Fashion Renaissance held on Wednesday in Abuja. Musawa said the adoption demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to placing culture, fashion, heritage, and the creative economy at the center of its engagement with Africa and the global community.
The minister disclosed that the Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA), pioneered by the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation, aims to grow Africa’s fashion economy from $30 billion to $500 billion, creating jobs and boosting foreign earnings. According to her, Africa currently exports textiles, cotton, apparel, and footwear valued at about $15.5 billion annually, while imports stand at $23.1 billion.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation and President of CAFA, Dr. Balogun Lai Labode, thanked the Federal Government for its leadership, noting that Nigeria will be the first country to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter. He said the adoption marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s bid to lead Africa’s fashion renaissance.
Labode explained that Africa’s fashion and textile industry, currently valued between $30 billion and $65 billion, loses much of its potential to imports and limited local processing. With Africa exporting over $10 billion worth of cotton-made products and importing more than $20 billion in cotton-made materials, he said the imbalance presents a huge opportunity for industrial growth.
He added that the Afroliganza movement aims to raise Africa’s fashion economy to $500 billion within the next decade by mobilizing policy, investment, and expertise to strengthen local production. CAFA will also host the African Global Fashion Games (AGFG) and channel public and private capital toward expanding processing, modernizing textile mills, and scaling manufacturing.
As part of the rollout, Egbaliganza 2026 will hold in March next year, featuring 50 participating countries as a proof of concept. The maiden edition of the African Global Fashion Games is scheduled for Abuja and Egypt in 2027, aligning with FESTAC at 50, where African countries will compete and showcase their creativity.
The event was attended by ambassadors from China, Botswana, Uganda, India, Korea, Tunisia, and Liberia, alongside senior officials of the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy and the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation.
