Nigeria will host the first African Global Fashion Games in 2028
Countries will compete in seven disciplines, from design to textile innovation, and add a thread to a shared 'World Cloth'.
Lagos — Nigeria will host the African Global Fashion Games in 2028, the Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) has announced.
Countries will compete in seven disciplines covering fashion design, craftsmanship, textile performance and innovation. The Games will be held every three years, alternating between African and international hosts, and each country will add a thread to a collective creation called the World Cloth.
CAFA President Aare Lai Labode announced the plan on Thursday in Lagos, at the first anniversary of the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter, held during the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) weekend.
A $500bn opportunity
Labode put Africa's fashion economy at $60 billion, against a potential of $500 billion. Citing UNESCO figures, he said 37 of Africa's 54 countries grow cotton, yet the continent exports about $15.5 billion of textiles a year and imports $23.1 billion of textiles, clothing and footwear. "The world has never doubted Africa's talent. It has simply never had to pay Africa for it," he said.
Nigeria was the first country to sign the charter, on 5 November 2025. Rwanda is moving to become the second, and talks are under way with Liberia and Ghana. "A signature only matters if something follows it," said Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa.
Source: Premium Times, November 2026.
