Lagos Fashion Week: AFC to drive Africa’s $15bn textile exports
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The Africa Finance Corporation has said that its partnership with the Lagos Fashion Week 2025 is aimed at driving the continent’s apparel and textile export industries, which are projected to hit $15bn by 2030.
In a statement, the corporation noted that the collaboration builds on its broader mandate to drive industrialisation and job creation through strategic investments in critical infrastructure that transforms economies.
Now in its 15th year, Lagos Fashion Week has become a globally recognised platform showcasing African design excellence and creativity. The 2025 edition will spotlight circular fashion, responsible sourcing, and regional value chains, areas where AFC’s infrastructure investments are helping bridge Africa’s creative and industrial potential.
“Africa’s creative industries embody both our cultural pride and our economic promise. Through this partnership with Lagos Fashion Week 2025, we are advancing AFC’s commitment to turn that promise into measurable impact, supporting the full fashion value chain to empower the youth, strengthen local manufacturing, and drive value addition on the continent. By building critical infrastructure that underpins these creative value chains, AFC is ensuring that Africa’s designers and manufacturers can compete on a truly global stage,” said President/Chief Executive Officer of AFC, Samaila Zubairu.
Also speaking on the partnership, the Founder of Lagos Fashion Week, Omoyemi Akerele, said, “We are pleased to welcome AFC as a key partner for Lagos Fashion Week 2025. Their commitment to advancing sustainable infrastructure and local manufacturing aligns with our mission to strengthen the foundations of Africa’s fashion ecosystem, and fostering meaningful leadership in financing sustainable infrastructure and manufacturing aligns perfectly with our vision for a future where Africa’s creative industries not only inspire but also produce and export value from within the continent.”
Through its investee company ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AFC is facilitating Africa’s transition from being primarily an exporter of raw materials to a producer and exporter of finished goods. Collectively, AFC-backed projects have to date added over $50bn to GDP and supported the creation of seven million jobs across 36 countries on the continent.
