The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Lagos State Government have called for greater investment, improved financing and wider access to global markets to unlock the full potential of Africa’s fashion, leather and creative industries.
The call was made at the Stitch, Sell, Scale: Fashion, Leather & Creative Enterprise Spotlight held in Lagos, where government officials, business leaders, financiers and development partners gathered to explore ways of turning creative talent into sustainable businesses capable of creating jobs and driving economic growth.
Speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, said many entrepreneurs continue to face challenges despite the abundance of talent across the sector.
“Despite the abundance of talent, many entrepreneurs continue to struggle with limited access to finance, markets and business networks,” the governor said.
He explained that the Lagos State Government is working to build an enabling business environment that helps creative enterprises expand beyond Nigeria by improving access to markets, strengthening enterprise support systems and collaborating with development partners, financial institutions and the private sector.
Sanwo-Olu added that the state is also supporting women- and youth-led businesses while promoting better product quality, packaging and competitiveness.
Also speaking, the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie G. Attafuah, described Africa’s fashion, leather and creative sectors as major economic drivers with the capacity to generate jobs, strengthen manufacturing and build globally competitive brands.
She noted that while Africa’s creative industries are receiving increasing global attention, greater access to finance, technology, investment and business networks remains critical to transforming creative ideas into thriving enterprises.
“Creativity becomes prosperity only when it is connected to markets. Ideas become businesses when they are connected to capital,” Attafuah said.
Delivering the keynote goodwill message, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said Africa’s future economic growth will increasingly depend on innovation, entrepreneurship and the creative economy.
She described the continent’s fashion and leather industries as strategic sectors capable of creating employment, attracting investment and producing globally recognised African brands.
Eziakonwa identified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a major opportunity for creative businesses to expand across borders, strengthen regional value chains and compete internationally.
“Imagine African leather processed in one country, designed in another, manufactured in a third and sold across our continent under globally recognised African brands. That is the promise of regional integration,” she said.
She stressed that stronger collaboration among governments, investors, financial institutions, universities and development partners is essential to provide entrepreneurs with the finance, infrastructure, technology and policy support needed to scale their businesses.
Highlighting initiatives such as timbuktoo, university innovation hubs and digital innovation centres, Eziakonwa said the UNDP remains committed to connecting African entrepreneurs with investment opportunities and global markets, positioning the continent’s creative industries as a key driver of economic transformation.
