Africa Finance Corporation partners Lagos Fashion Week 2025 to boost Africa’s textile exports, job creation, and sustainable manufacturing

Africa Finance Corporation has announced a strategic partnership with Lagos Fashion Week 2025, aimed at accelerating Africa’s apparel and textile export industries, which are projected to reach $15bn by 2030.

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In a statement, the corporation said the collaboration supports its broader mission to drive industrialisation, job creation, and sustainable growth through targeted investments in infrastructure that transforms economies.

Now in its 15th year, Lagos Fashion Week has evolved into a globally recognised platform for showcasing African design excellence.

The 2025 edition will highlight themes such as circular fashion, responsible sourcing, and regional value chains — areas in which AFC’s infrastructure investments are helping connect creativity with industrial capability.

AFC President and Chief Executive Officer Samaila Zubairu said the partnership underscores the corporation’s vision of turning Africa’s cultural strength into tangible economic impact. “Africa’s creative industries embody both our cultural pride and our economic promise.

Through this partnership with Lagos Fashion Week 2025, we are advancing AFC’s commitment to empower the youth, strengthen local manufacturing, and drive value addition on the continent,” he said.

He added that by developing critical infrastructure supporting creative value chains, AFC is enabling African designers and manufacturers to compete on a truly global stage.

Founder of Lagos Fashion Week, Omoyemi Akerele, described the partnership as a perfect alignment of purpose. “We are pleased to welcome AFC as a key partner for Lagos Fashion Week 2025.

Their commitment to advancing sustainable infrastructure and manufacturing aligns with our mission to build a resilient fashion ecosystem — one that produces and exports value from within Africa,” she said.

Through its investee company, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms, AFC continues to drive Africa’s shift from exporting raw materials to producing finished goods.

Collectively, AFC-backed projects have added more than $50bn to GDP and created seven million jobs across 36 African countries.

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The partnership is seen as a powerful catalyst linking finance, fashion, and infrastructure to build a future where Africa’s creative industries are not only celebrated for their artistry but recognised as economic engines driving the continent’s transformation.