CAFA targets $500bn African fashion economy

The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) is targeting the growth of Africa’s fashion economy from an estimated $30 billion to $500 billion, with plans to unveil its roadmap at the 2026 Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX WKND) in Lagos. The organisation will mark its first anniversary on November 5 with the unveiling of a joint stand with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly the National Arts Theatre.

CAFA President, Aare (Prof.) Lai Labode, said the organisation was working with African governments to harmonise policies on sourcing, production, trade and intellectual property to ensure that more value was retained by African businesses and communities. Nigeria became the first country to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter on November 5, 2025, when the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.

Speaking ahead of the unveiling, Musawa said the Afroliganza initiative was designed to establish a structured fashion economy rooted in African heritage and driven by African institutions, with the capacity to compete globally. She said investment in the fashion industry could generate millions of jobs, particularly for women and young people. Registered in Rwanda, with an office in Kigali and a desk at the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, CAFA is also working with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards securing African Union adoption of the Charter.

According to the organisation, Rwanda is making progress towards becoming the second participating country and the first in East Africa. CAFA said its first year of operations featured the gathering of representatives from 50 countries at the Egbaliganza-Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Türkiye’s ASRIAD.

Its programmes are focused on promoting the local processing of African raw materials into finished fashion products, rather than exporting them in unprocessed forms. The organisation’s ‘Own What We Create’ initiative is designed to promote intellectual property protection, while its CAFA Certified Seal and CAFA Heritage Mark are intended to strengthen industry standards and authenticate African fashion products.

It also disclosed that plans were underway to establish African Global Fashion Houses in international markets to expand the global presence of African designers and fashion businesses. Another initiative, the African Global Fashion Games, is scheduled to debut in Nigeria in 2028. The biennial? No, the Games will be held every three years, bringing designers together to represent their countries under national colours.

According to CAFA, the event will alternate between African and international host countries, combining fashion competitions with investor meetings, business deals and policy discussions. One of its proposed competitions, Instant Craft, will require participating countries to work with identical materials within a fixed period, with emphasis on craftsmanship and technical skills.

CAFA is inviting fashion designers, artisans, creatives, diplomats, economists, investors and policymakers to visit its stand at CANEX WKND 2026 to explore its roadmap and identify opportunities in design, manufacturing, investment, research, trade and international partnerships. The stand will remain open daily from November 5 to 8. The organisation also called on the African Union to adopt the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter and urged governments across the continent to sign the Games Register and establish national teams.

“Fashion has always told the world who Africa is. Now Africa will decide what fashion pays,” Labode said.