Lagos and UNDP Collaborate to Tap International Trade Opportunities for Fashion and Leather Entrepreneurs

The United Nations Development Programme and the Lagos State Government are urging for increased investment, financing, and market access to propel Africa's creative industries forward, enabling them to drive job creation, exports, and industrial growth, as emphasized at the Stitch, Sell, Scale: Fashion, Leather & Creative Enterprise Spotlight in Lagos.

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This event brought together prominent figures from government, finance, and business, with Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noting that despite the abundance of talent, many entrepreneurs struggle with limited access to finance, markets, and business networks, a challenge that the state government is working to address.

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According to the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, who represented the governor, the state government is focused on building a supportive ecosystem that enables businesses to grow, connect with new buyers, and access markets beyond Nigeria, through collaborations with development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector.

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The UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie G. Attafuah, highlighted that Africa's fashion, leather, and creative sectors have evolved into productive industries capable of creating jobs, strengthening manufacturing, and building globally competitive brands, with the continent's creative economy entering a defining moment.

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Attafuah stressed that while visibility is important, it alone will not drive economic transformation, and instead, the focus should be on how creativity can be converted into prosperity, and how small enterprises can become competitive brands, ultimately contributing to job creation, industrial development, and long-term economic growth.

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She noted that the sectors create value across entire supply chains, from raw materials and manufacturing to design, branding, logistics, retail, and digital commerce, while preserving heritage and creating economic opportunities, but many enterprises still struggle to access the necessary finance, investment, technology, market information, and business networks.

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Attafuah emphasized that connecting entrepreneurs with opportunities is crucial, as "creativity becomes prosperity only when it is connected to markets" and "ideas become businesses when they are connected to capital", which is the objective of the Spotlight event.

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United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, delivered the keynote goodwill message, stating that Africa's economic future will increasingly be shaped by innovation and enterprise, with the continent's creative industries playing a strategic role in generating employment, attracting investment, and building internationally recognized brands.

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Eziakonwa described the creative industries as a sector that has never lacked creativity, but rather, the question is how to ensure that creativity translates into competitiveness, with the African Continental Free Trade Area presenting a major opportunity for creative businesses to expand across borders, strengthen regional value chains, and attract investment.

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She illustrated the potential of regional integration, citing the example of African leather being processed in one country, designed in another, manufactured in a third, and sold across the continent under globally recognized African brands, highlighting the need for stronger collaboration among governments, financiers, private-sector leaders, universities, and development partners to support entrepreneurs.

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Eziakonwa stressed that entrepreneurs require access to finance, investment, infrastructure, technology, and supportive policies to scale, and highlighted UNDP initiatives such as timbuktoo, university innovation pods, and digital innovation hubs, which aim to connect entrepreneurs with investment and market opportunities across the continent.

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The next chapter for Africa, according to Eziakonwa, is ensuring that the world recognizes not only the continent's creativity but also its competitiveness, with the world already having discovered Africa's creative potential.