Stakeholders insist on intra-African trade in fashion industry

By Stanley Onyekwere

Stakeholders in the fashion industry are calling for improved intra-African trade and business relationships amongst entrepreneurs in the fashion and arts industries on the continent.
This is as the African Fashion & Arts Award (AFAA) emphasised the need for fashion and art creatives to be empowered, rewarded and celebrated.
Founder and President of AFAA, Mr. Kingsley Amako, noted that over 65% of the African 1.4billion population is made up of youths between the creative ages of 12-35 years and that fashion and arts remains the most viable and potentially the creative industry vertical generating the most revenue enough to effect a significant change on the continent’s GDP.
Amako, at a recent press conference in Abuja, argued that despite the continent’s attention shift from oil to tech, the textile and apparel industry remains the second largest revenue generating sector in the world’s developing economies, second to agriculture.
Speaking on the forthcoming 3rd anniversary of AFAA. scheduled to hold in Abuja later in the year, Amako said insisted that the attention to the fashion and art creatives is the way to go.
The 3rd anniversary of the AFAA is scheduled for 1st to 3rd December 2023 at the Abuja Continental Hotel while the scheduled East African Media Tour to Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda on the 6th, 10th and 13th October 2023 respectively.
Amako, when asked the reason for the tour stated that it is the organisation’s practice since 2021 in South Africa, 2022 in Cairo Egypt and 2023, Three (3) East African countries.
Amako, while appreciating the sponsors of the AFAA 2023, said the AFAA mission, vision and mantra to be centred on Empowerment, Rewards and Celebration of Creativity.