Lagos, UNDP move to position fashion, leather MSMEs for African, global markets

The Lagos State Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a two-day Fashion, Leather and Creative Enterprise Spotlight aimed at connecting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the creative sector to finance, markets and investment opportunities.

The event, which opened on Friday at the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Industrial Leather Hub in Lagos, brought together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, development partners and financial institutions under the theme, “Crafting Prosperity: Connecting African Creativity to Markets, Capital and Growth.”

Speaking on behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, the commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, said the initiative was designed to help creative entrepreneurs move beyond production into sustainable businesses capable of competing in regional and global markets.

“Lagos has always been a city of makers,” Ajigbotafe said. “Walk through our markets and workshops and you will find hands that turn leather into livelihood, fabric into fortune and creativity into commerce.”

He noted that while Nigeria’s creative economy employs more than four million people, many entrepreneurs remain excluded from markets, capital and business networks needed to scale their enterprises.

“We are not just creating a market for them. We are creating an ecosystem where they can grow. We want every MSME in this hall to leave with something tangible—a new buyer, a new deal, a new door opened,” he said.

Ajigbotafe described the industrial leather hub as a strategic investment by the Lagos State Government to support the fashion and leather ecosystem, saying the facility would serve as a platform for collaboration across the creative value chain.

Elsie Attafuah, the UNDP resident representative in Nigeria, said the gathering was convened to address one of the biggest challenges confronting Nigeria’s creative industry, how to transform small businesses into globally competitive brands.

“We saw potential. We saw people making bags, shoes and clothes. But the question is: how do we move from small-scale businesses to global brands?” she said.

According to Attafuah, the programme seeks to strengthen local brands by connecting entrepreneurs with investors, improving market access and helping businesses adopt digital technologies.

She said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with a market of about 1.4 billion people, presents a major opportunity for Nigerian creative businesses to expand across the continent.

Attafuah identified inadequate electricity, limited digital capacity and poor access to finance as some of the major constraints facing MSMEs.

She also called for stronger integration across Nigeria’s leather value chain, noting that hides produced in northern Nigeria are often exported before returning as finished leather products.

“We need to connect Lagos to Kano, Kaduna and Katsina. Leather can be processed in Kano, finished in Lagos and shoes produced in Aba. That is how we create jobs and retain value within Nigeria,” she said.

Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Africa, said Africa continues to lose significant economic value by exporting raw materials instead of finished leather products.

She noted that although Africa accounts for about 20 percent of the world’s cattle population and between 25 and 30 percent of global sheep and goat populations, the continent contributes only about four percent of global leather production.

“Nigeria is a leather powerhouse, yet while the country exports raw hides and semi-processed leather, it imports about $500 million worth of finished leather products every year,” she said.

According to her, Nigeria has the capacity to produce about 200 million pairs of shoes annually worth more than $1.4 billion but currently produces only about 48 million pairs.

“We produce the leather, we import the finished products and then pay premium prices for products made from our own raw materials,” Eziakonwa said.

Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Lagos State commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the state was committed to positioning Lagos as Nigeria’s creative capital by supporting initiatives that strengthen capacity, innovation and market access.

She said the global perception of locally made fashion products had improved significantly and urged Nigerians to embrace indigenous brands.

Benson-Awoyinka said Lagos would continue promoting creative enterprises through festivals, exhibitions, trade missions and other platforms that connect local entrepreneurs with international markets.

“It is time to move from producing for survival to producing for scale, from creating products to building globally recognised brands with a strong Nigerian identity,” she said.

The two-day event features policy dialogues, business masterclasses, networking sessions, investor engagements, product exhibitions and a curated marketplace designed to help creative entrepreneurs secure partnerships, expand market access and attract investment.