The Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has emphasized the need to boost Africa's textile and fashion ecosystem.
In a keynote address delivered during the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend Summit in Algiers, the Minister highlighted Africa's rich textile heritage, citing iconic fabrics such as Adire, Kente, Bogolan and Ankara, which embody history, identity and pride of the African people.
“Despite this heritage, it is deeply ironic that many of the fabrics we hold dear, like Ankara, are predominantly produced outside of Africa. Almost 90% of the Ankara consumed on our continent is imported, resulting in an annual loss of approximately $3 billion for foreign manufacturers. We must change this. “We must reclaim our fashion narrative by strengthening local production capabilities and ensuring the benefits of this vibrant industry remain within our borders.” The Minister was quoted in an official press release issued by Nneka Anibeze, Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.
Ms. Musawa emphasized the immense economic opportunity in Africa's fashion industry, which is projected to grow to $15.5 billion by 2025, and stressed the need to address structural challenges hampering local production through action collective, including the establishment of cooperatives that encourage collaboration.
She said: “Fashion is much more than a form of expression. It is an economic power. The global fashion industry is valued at approximately $2.5 trillion. In Nigeria alone, the fashion industry contributes approximately $6.1 billion to GDP, while South Africa's textile sector employs more than 140,000 people, demonstrating the sector's ability to create jobs.
“Investments in fashion will create millions of jobs, especially for women and young people. By expanding local production, we will not only add value within our borders, but also position Africa as a global hub for fashion. We are also working diligently to protect and promote our fashion, apparel and textile industries by updating our intellectual property (IP). laws. These laws will protect our traditional techniques, textiles and designs while ensuring we address the exploitation of our cultural treasures. This will prevent indigenous communities from being ignored and impoverished while others benefit from their creativity.”
The Design Nexus and Destination 2030 initiatives, under Ms. Musawa's leadership, will establish manufacturing hubs and luxury craft training programs across Africa that align with Nigeria's vision of positioning its arts, culture and creative economy to the avant-garde worldwide.
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The session also featured a panel of speakers that included Pamela Samasuwo-Nyawiri, co-founder and creative director of Vanhu Vamwe of Zimbabwe, Santosh Kumar, Director of Legislation of the International Cooperative Alliance of Belgium, Kenza Fourati, co-founder and president of OSAY the Label from Tunisia, Khanyi Mashimbye from Afreximbank, Lily Sommer, Program Director – AfCFTA, International Trade Center and Adel Kadar, Head of Fabric Production, TAYAL from Algeria.