How to grow Africa’s fashion industry, by CAFA

The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) has called for increased investment in manufacturing, improved access to finance and stronger market connections to unlock the economic potential of Africa’s fashion industry.

The organisation made the call during the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026, recently held in Lagos, where industry discussions focused on the structures required to expand Africa’s creative economy.

Although Africa has a large pool of fashion designers, artisans and entrepreneurs, the industry still faces challenges, including limited textile manufacturing capacity, inadequate infrastructure and difficulty accessing finance and international markets.

CAFA said addressing these gaps was essential to building a competitive fashion industry capable of creating jobs, expanding trade and retaining more economic value within the continent.

Strengthening manufacturing capacity

Speaking at the event, CAFA’s Mission Coordinator, Reginald Ekeanyanwu, highlighted the need to make large-scale fashion manufacturing more accessible to emerging and established designers.

He said improving production infrastructure, manufacturing standards and market opportunities would help African fashion businesses compete more effectively.

The organisation is pursuing this objective through its Seed to Wear Programme, a 10-pillar roadmap designed to strengthen different segments of the African fashion value chain.

The programme covers cotton cultivation, fibre processing, textile production, fashion design, financing, and distribution.

According to CAFA, developing these interconnected sectors would help address existing production gaps and create a more sustainable manufacturing ecosystem.

Investment critical to industry growth

The discussions at CANEX also highlighted the importance of financing in expanding Africa’s fashion industry.

Investments are needed to improve textile production, modernise factories, introduce new technologies and establish distribution networks capable of serving larger markets.

CANEX WKND brought together creative entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, and other industry players to explore opportunities to develop Africa’s creative industries.

Its business programme, which included a Finance Summit and Deal Room, provided a platform to connect creative businesses with potential investors and financing opportunities.

For CAFA, attracting investment into the fashion industry requires looking beyond individual designers and collections to the wider infrastructure needed to support production and trade.

Seeking access to global markets

CAFA also identified market access and regional cooperation as important priorities for the industry’s development.

It is advancing this agenda through its African Fashion Industry Growth Charter, which seeks to promote policy alignment and cooperation among African countries.

The initiative is expected to support efforts to address barriers affecting manufacturing, investment and trade across the continent.

The organisation is also advocating stronger industry standards, intellectual property protection and distribution systems to improve the competitiveness of African fashion products.

These initiatives support CAFA’s ambition to grow Africa’s fashion economy from an estimated $60 billion to $500 billion by 2036.

Next steps

CAFA’s participation in CANEX WKND 2026 provided an opportunity to present its industry development agenda to manufacturers, investors, policymakers and other players in the creative economy.

The organisation said continued engagement with these groups would be necessary to translate discussions on manufacturing, financing and market access into practical partnerships.

Achieving a more competitive African fashion industry, it added, would require coordinated efforts from governments, manufacturers, financial institutions, designers and investors.