AFC Partners with Lagos Fashion Week 2025 to Boost Sustainable Fashion and Youth Empowerment

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent's premier infrastructure solutions provider, has announced its strategic partnership with Lagos Fashion Week 2025, marking a powerful step toward empowering Africa's youth and fostering growth within the creative economy. The partnership underscores AFC's mission to position creative industries—including fashion, textiles, and design—as vital engines for inclusive and sustainable economic transformation.

Transforming Africa's Creative Economy Through Infrastructure

Africa's apparel and textile exports are projected to reach $15 billion by 2030, signaling vast potential for industrial growth. Recognizing this opportunity, AFC's collaboration with Lagos Fashion Week seeks to strengthen the infrastructure supporting fashion and textile value chains. The goal is to enhance local production, promote sustainable practices, and enable African designers to compete globally through improved value addition and manufacturing capacity.

AFC's President & CEO, Samaila Zubairu, emphasized that the partnership aligns perfectly with AFC's mission of fostering industrialization and youth empowerment. "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 turn that promise into measurable impact—supporting the full fashion value chain to empower the youth, strengthen local manufacturing, and drive value addition on the continent," Zubairu said.

Building Industrial Foundations for Creative Growth

AFC's infrastructure investments are crucial to the continent's shift from being a primary exporter of raw materials to becoming a producer of finished goods. Through its investee company, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), AFC is pioneering industrial transformation across Africa.

A standout example is the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in Benin Republic, which houses state-of-the-art textile factories where African cotton is transformed into finished garments for export to major international retailers such as The Children's Store in the United States. This initiative exemplifies sustainable industrialization—operating entirely on renewable energy, utilizing 100% sustainably sourced cotton, and recycling up to 95% of its water. GDIZ is not only creating thousands of skilled jobs for local youth but also serving as a blueprint for circular, environmentally responsible textile manufacturing across Africa.

Lagos Fashion Week 2025: A Platform for Circular Innovation

Now in its 15th year, Lagos Fashion Week has evolved into a globally recognized showcase of African creativity, innovation, and design excellence. The 2025 edition will emphasize circular fashion, responsible sourcing, and regional value chains—themes that resonate strongly with AFC's infrastructure-led approach to sustainable development.

Founder Omoyemi Akerele welcomed AFC's partnership as a landmark collaboration: "We are pleased to welcome AFC as a key partner for Lagos Fashion Week 2025. Their commitment to advancing sustainable infrastructure and local manufacturing aligns with our mission to strengthen the foundations of Africa's fashion ecosystem and foster meaningful leadership in financing sustainable infrastructure and manufacturing. This partnership paves the way for a future where Africa's creative industries not only inspire but also produce and export value from within the continent."

Empowering Youth and Entrepreneurs Across Africa

Beyond the fashion sector, AFC continues to invest in creative platforms that uplift Africa's youth and entrepreneurs. Its involvement in initiatives like the +234Art Fair—a collaboration with Ecobank—demonstrates a consistent effort to support young artists, innovators, and creative entrepreneurs redefining Africa's global narrative.

So far, AFC-backed projects have collectively added over US$50 billion to the continent's GDP and supported the creation of 7 million jobs across 36 countries, proving that investment in infrastructure and creativity can drive inclusive and sustainable growth.

The Road Ahead

By partnering with Lagos Fashion Week, AFC reinforces the message that the creative economy is not just an expression of cultural identity—it is a foundation for industrial and economic advancement. The initiative highlights a broader movement across Africa to integrate creativity, sustainability, and manufacturing into a unified strategy for long-term prosperity.

As Lagos Fashion Week 2025 approaches, the collaboration between AFC and the continent's leading fashion platform promises to set a new benchmark for how infrastructure and creativity can work hand in hand to empower a generation and redefine Africa's role in the global fashion economy.