AFC Returns as Lead Sponsor of Lagos Fashion Week 2026
Lagos Fashion Week continues to gain global recognition as a platform for African design, creativity and innovation.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a leading provider of infrastructure solutions in Africa, is returning as Lead Sponsor of Lagos Fashion Week 2026. Announced on 21st October 2026 in Lagos, Nigeria, the partnership highlights AFC’s support for Africa’s creative industries. It also aims to promote local manufacturing, economic growth and job creation.
Africa’s fashion industry can create jobs, support businesses and increase the continent’s role in global markets. However, creative talent alone cannot unlock this potential. The industry also needs investment in infrastructure, local production and access to finance. With this support, African fashion businesses can expand, compete globally and retain more value within the continent.
AFC Strengthens Its Partnership with Lagos Fashion Week
AFC first partnered with Lagos Fashion Week in 2025. As part of this collaboration, AFC and its investee company, ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), hosted an event attended by around 300 participants. The discussion explored how African fashion can support industrial growth, local manufacturing and value addition.
The event also highlighted the need for better production facilities and stronger supply chains. These resources can help connect African designers with the manufacturing capabilities needed to grow their businesses.
Building on this partnership, AFC will focus on financing a sustainable and climate-resilient fashion industry in 2026. In collaboration with AFC Capital Partners, the Corporation will host a panel discussion titled “OFF THE RUNWAY: Financing a Sustainable African Fashion Industry in a Changing Climate.”
The session will bring together experts from fashion, energy, sustainability and investment. They will discuss how infrastructure and new financing models can support the industry. In addition, the panel will explore ways to build stronger production systems in Nigeria and across Africa.
Financing Sustainable Growth in African Fashion
Investment can help African designers and manufacturers compete in international markets. For example, better production facilities and improved access to capital can help businesses increase output. Stronger local supply chains can also support manufacturing and create jobs across the fashion industry.
Samaila Zubairu, President & CEO of AFC, said:
“Africa’s creative industries embody both our cultural pride and our economic promise. Through this renewed partnership with Lagos Fashion Week 2026, 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.”
He added:
“By building critical infrastructure that underpins these creative value chains, AFC is ensuring that Africa’s designers and manufacturers can compete on a truly global stage.”
Lagos Fashion Week Supports Community-Led Creation
Lagos Fashion Week has become an internationally recognised platform for African design and creative talent. Through its continued partnership with AFC, the event aims to connect this talent with the investment and infrastructure needed for long-term growth.
Omoyemi Akerele, Founder of Lagos Fashion Week, said:
“We are delighted to welcome African Fashion Corporation back as a key partner for Lagos Fashion Week 2026. Their focus this season speaks to the spirit of the African Fashion Coalition Manifesto and two of its central pillars: Community Led Creation and Inclusive Prosperity, and Circularity. Both recognise that community, resourcefulness and regeneration are not emerging trends, but foundations upon which African fashion has long been built. This partnership reinforces our continued commitment to the Manifesto’s vision of an African fashion industry that preserves indigenous knowledge, strengthens local production, creates shared economic value and builds a regenerative future rooted in our communities.”
AFC Expands Support for Africa’s Creative Industries
AFC’s work with Lagos Fashion Week forms part of its wider efforts to support Africa’s creative sector. Recently, the Corporation launched its ARD South Residency with the ARD Art Institution in Cairo. The three-month programme offers young African artists a fully supported artist-in-residence opportunity.
Through such initiatives, AFC supports entrepreneurs, artists and businesses that contribute to Africa’s economic development. At the same time, its investments in infrastructure and key sectors aim to strengthen local supply chains and encourage industrial growth.
With its return as Lead Sponsor of Lagos Fashion Week 2026, AFC is reinforcing the link between creative talent, investment and manufacturing. Ultimately, the partnership aims to support a more competitive and sustainable African fashion industry while creating opportunities for businesses and communities across the continent.
