By Chukwuma Umeorah
Stakeholders have renewed calls for increased investment in Africa’s creative economy, spotlighting the continent’s potential to capture a larger share of the global $2 trillion creative market.
These calls were made at the just concluded 2025 edition of the Lagos Leather Fair (LLF) which convened designers, manufacturers, investors, policymakers, and tech experts to discuss opportunities and challenges facing Africa’s leather value chain.
Now in its eighth edition, the fair focused heavily on industrial scaling, financing gaps, and digital integration. Stakeholders raised concerns about Africa’s limited access to global creative funding. “African SMEs face a $331 billion funding shortfall, with the continent capturing just 2.9 per cent of global creative funding, a mere $58 billion out of a $2 trillion market,” said Olugbenga Ogunbowale during a workshop on grant writing and investor engagement.
He emphasized the need for creatives to build investment-ready businesses, warning that fear of rejection and poorly prepared pitches remain major barriers.
This concern was echoed by other panelists, urging African entrepreneurs to prioritise financial structure, pricing, and local scaling before looking abroad. Kanyisade Ademuson, Creative Director of Seventh Space, said; “Nigerian doesn’t mean cheaper. If the quality is there, price with pride. If not, wait until it is.”
Similarly, tech entrepreneur Scott Eneje challenged creatives to take ownership of digital tools and use artificial intelligence to localise their offerings. “A fair like this opens us to what’s really happening; the skills people have and the gaps in our ecosystem,” he said. “We need to go beyond social media buzz to building real, scalable businesses that create jobs and value.”
Eneje added: “The data is us. If 100 of us sit down and train one machine, we’re giving it a Nigerian voice. It’s not someone in the US telling it what matters here; we should be in control.”
As part of its drive to industrialise the sector, the Lagos State Government announced plans to commission a dedicated leather production hub in Mushin. Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the fair, Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, said the state is committed to turning creative talent into scalable enterprise.
“This facility is not just a building; it is an ecosystem. We want people to come here to learn, and even operate factory-level production to scale their businesses. Lagos State is serious about turning creativity into industry and ideas into income. This is our way of institutionalising the leather sector as a viable industry in Lagos,” he said.
He also praised the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) for providing training and seed capital to entrepreneurs. “You can see what the LSETF has done; from training to upskilling and providing start-up capital. The Ministry too is going to support the agency to make sure we keep this up. By next year, we plan to increase the number of beneficiaries,” Ajigbotafe added.
The fair concluded with an awards ceremony honouring emerging brands and outstanding players in the sector. Wema Bank presented N1 million each to three standout leatherpreneurs, while other corporate partners pledged continued support for local manufacturing.
Convener of the Lagos Leather Fair and founder of FemiHandbags, Femi Olayebi, said the fair has become a force for change. “LLF has grown from a small spark to a full-blown movement. We are shaping a future for African leather that is bold, brilliant, and ours. LLF 2026 will be even more ambitious,” she said.
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