African Fashion Seeks Local Manufacturing Boost

Africa’s fashion industry has called for more investment in local manufacturing to reduce reliance on imported materials, create jobs and increase the value of its cotton and other raw materials.

The call came at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX) 2026 in Lagos, where designers and industry leaders discussed ways to strengthen the continent’s fashion industry and expand production.

The four-day event, organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), ran from November 5 to 8. It brought together creative businesses, buyers, investors and policymakers from Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora.

The discussions covered fashion, film, music, literature, arts, food and sports, with a focus on turning Africa’s creative industries into sources of trade, investment and jobs.

At the event on November 6, the Africa Made It campaign launched its “Power, Protect and Purchase” initiative. The campaign aims to strengthen the continent’s textile and garment industry by promoting reliable energy, protecting local manufacturers from unfair imports and encouraging consumers to buy African-made products.

According to research by Africa Practice, Africa exports up to 98 per cent of its raw cotton but captures only two per cent of its total value. The continent also records an annual cotton-related trade deficit of $35 billion.

The research estimates that expanding local cotton processing could create nearly two million permanent industrial jobs. It also projects annual household income gains of about $33 billion and a $34 billion contribution to the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

However, achieving these gains will require investment in factories, machinery, skills and reliable electricity. Arts and fashion consultant Chiemelie Ezeasor said governments and private businesses must work together to support local manufacturers and train more workers.

“It takes investment. It takes collaboration between governments, public and private sector,” he said.

Ezeasor said local manufacturers need support to train artisans and build the skills required to turn raw materials into finished products for export. He also called for investment in modern equipment to improve production while preserving African fashion traditions.

He noted that many local producers still rely on manual methods, including hand-based tie-and-dye processes, because they lack access to modern machinery.

Ezeasor also urged businesses to source materials locally, saying it would reduce costs, create jobs and strengthen African economies.

“First of all, there’s a sense of pride when you know that what you’re doing is sourced locally. It’s even far cheaper, it boosts the local economy, you create employment,” he said.

He added that transporting materials from outside the continent can be expensive and time-consuming when similar products could be sourced within Africa. However, he said poor transport links and trade barriers continue to make it difficult for businesses to move goods between African countries.

He pointed out that travelling from Nigeria to some African countries could be more difficult than travelling to the United Kingdom.

“So if we cannot even travel amongst each other, we first have to solve that problem before we can solve African trade,” he said.

Although social media has made it easier for designers to connect with manufacturers across the continent, moving goods remains a challenge.

“Luckily for us, we have social media. You can contact a manufacturer in Kenya or a manufacturer in Morocco… But land transport, freight forwarding is still a very long way,” he added.

Cameroonian fashion designer Kibonen Nfi also highlighted the challenges of manufacturing in Africa. She said she moved her production to Asia in 2023 after spending 20 years trying to build manufacturing operations on the continent.

“I’ve manufactured in Africa for 20 years, and I’m never going to do it again. Simple. I’ve spent more than a million dollars trying to set up manufacturing on the continent,” she said.

Nfi said manufacturing in Asia had made it easier to expand production and meet large orders.

“I left the continent in 2023, and I’m manufacturing in Asia, and I’m not regretting anything. I love it because it’s easy. I love it because it’s scalable. If I want one million pieces, they’ll get it made for me,” she added.

Meanwhile, Fred Deegbe, strategic director at the Pan-African Fashion Alliance (PAFA), said the biggest challenge facing African fashion businesses was not a lack of talent or creativity but the difficulty of producing at scale.

“The issue we’ve all faced is not one about skill, or about talent, or about creativity. It’s about scale,” he said.

Deegbe said the cost of importing materials and exporting finished products continued to limit local brands’ growth. He added that PAFA was gathering data to identify these challenges and working with Afreximbank, governments and private sector organisations to improve production conditions.

He also pointed to Afreximbank’s partnerships with international fashion platforms, including Galeries Lafayette, Portugal Fashion Week and Tranoï, as opportunities for African designers to connect with global buyers.

According to him, feedback from international buyers would help local brands improve their products and prepare for larger markets. The goal, he said, was “to make not only a successful brand, but successful companies”.

PAFA is also encouraging designers to register through its website so the alliance can understand their businesses and connect them with relevant opportunities. For fashion designer Nancy Henson, access to funding remains a major obstacle to business growth.

Henson, who has spent about five years building her brand, said she had struggled to secure grants to expand her operations. She attended CANEX to meet other creatives and connect with potential investors.

“CANEX is not just another fair to display my clothes or make sales; rather, I saw it as an opportunity to meet other creatives as well and other investors,” she said.

Michael Odessy, founder of his fashion label, also highlighted the need to make stylish menswear easier for customers to buy.

“Make it easy for us, less stress, and we’ll buy,” he said.

However, he said building a reliable production system remained a challenge. His business still sources many materials outside Africa and must train workers before they can begin production. He said the company was working towards controlling more stages of its supply chain.

“It’s hard to be vertically integrated here. We’re trying our best. We’re halfway there, and we’ll get there very soon,” he said.

The discussions at CANEX highlighted the need for stronger investment, better infrastructure and easier trade across Africa to help local fashion businesses grow and compete in international markets.

Credit: Toochi Gabriel by Bird Story Agency.