The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) urged African governments to harmonise fashion policies, tighten intellectual property protection and invest in local manufacturing as it seeks to lift the continent’s fashion economy to $500 billion.
CAFA President Lai Labode made the appeal at the unveiling of a joint stand with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy at CANEX WKND 2026 in Lagos, running November 5-8.
CAFA estimates Africa’s fashion economy at about $60 billion against a potential $500 billion. Labode said the gap is structural rather than creative. “Money always follows structure,” he said. Africa exports about $15.5 billion of textiles a year but imports $23.1 billion of textiles, clothing and footwear, according to 2023 UNESCO figures cited by CAFA.
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The African Fashion Industry Growth Charter, which Nigeria signed on November 5, 2025 as the first country to do so, rests on 10 pillars including raw material processing, counterfeiting, logistics and market access. Labode said Africa must process cotton locally instead of exporting it raw, to create jobs and keep value on the continent.
CAFA says Rwanda is moving toward becoming the second signatory, talks are open with Liberia, and the charter is advancing toward African Union adoption through Nigeria’s foreign ministry. It also plans about 10 African fashion houses, plus outlets in New York, Paris, Milan and London. Labode urged states to back the intellectual property framework under the African Continental Free Trade Area, whose protocol annexes were passed in February.
Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa said her ministry is developing an intellectual property policy for designers and creative hubs nationwide, adding the partnership with CAFA should deliver jobs and promote African unity.
The $500 billion target is CAFA’s own estimate, and Nigeria remains the only country to have signed the charter.