Can fashion deliver jobs and cultural confidence in Africa

11 February 2026 (ECA) - In a garment studio in Addis Ababa, hundreds of young women work behind rows of sewing machines, cutting fabric for local and export markets.

Some enrolled after years working as domestic labourers abroad. Others came seeking work in a city where formal jobs are scarce. A number are former sex workers rebuilding their lives through training and paid work.

For Sara Mohammed, the school's founder, the studio addresses a gap she saw while traveling internationally as a fashion model.

On major runways, she rarely encountered Ethiopian garments. What she did see was how branding translated into contracts, factory orders and jobs - a link she felt was missing at home.

In 2004, she founded Next Fashion Design College in Addis Ababa to connect training directly to employment. Over time, the programme expanded to support returnee migrants and women seeking re-entry into the formal economy.

Sara said since its launch, the college has trained more than 5,800 women, about 30 per cent on full scholarships. Graduates leave with technical skills and, in some cases, sewing equipment, enabling them to earn income soon after completing the programme.

For Tebiba Seid, a returnee migrant, the training was transformative.

"Five years ago, I returned from an Arab country and was given the opportunity to train as a designer at Next Fashion Design College," she said. "It was a fresh start in my life, and I'm grateful."

Ms Mohammed did not stop at training. She also pushed to bring Ethiopian garments onto international platforms.

"We showcased in New York, DC, Berlin, Paris, and Milan," she said. "Now they know we have very good 100 per cent handwoven pure cotton in Ethiopia."

Showcasing abroad, however, has not eliminated resistance. Ms Mohammed said some international distributors have resisted labeling garments as made in Africa, citing concerns about consumer perception rather than quality.

"The major case is we as Africans are not accepting 'Made in Africa,'" she said. "People want to show the brand is from America or Europe."

The question of how African fashion is seen, and by whom, is central to the work of Shiri Achu, a Cameroonian visual artist whose work draws heavily on African textile traditions.

Working from studios in Cameroon, the UK and the US, Ms Achu created what she calls a Pan-African fabric, bringing together motifs from nine African countries into a single textile.

"I thought, why not merge all of this so people can understand and celebrate other people's culture," she said.

The project has invited designers from each of the nine countries represented on the fabric to create their own interpretations, with a showcase planned at the Smithsonian in September 2026.

For Ms Achu, the fabric is an exercise in unity across borders. Yet that visibility also influences demand, and demand shapes markets.

Rahel Edegilign, founder of the Addis Ababa-based fashion brand Rahela, has navigated cross-border markets directly.

Rather than exporting at scale, she began by placing her designs in stores in Ghana and Kenya through relationships built at fashion shows and through direct outreach.

Back in Addis Ababa, she adopted a similar model. Her store now carries garments from other designers, giving them access to retail space and customers.

"The same way other people did it for me in Ghana and Kenya," she said, "I decided to do it here as well."

Advocates of the African Continental Free Trade Area argue that lowering trade barriers could help designers reach buyers beyond their home countries. Yet trade policy alone will not be enough to build regional markets.

Designers still need the capacity to produce at scale, logistics that function across borders and customers willing to buy African-made brands. According to a 2023 UNESCO report, Africa exports about $15.5 billion worth of textiles, clothing and footwear annually, while importing more than $23 billion, underscoring the gap between production and market capture

At policy level, the focus is on how creative industries can absorb labour at scale, with the private sector playing a central role.

"Africa's growing youth population is creative, energetic and increasingly educated," said Zuzana Schwidrowski, Director of Gender, Poverty and Social Policy at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). "Job creation will largely depend on private-sector activity, particularly as the role of the public sector becomes more constrained."

The question now is whether visibility, policy and entrepreneurship can converge fast enough to absorb a generation entering the labour market. For Ms Mohammed and others building institutions on the ground, the answer will determine whether fashion becomes a durable employer or remains a niche industry.

This article draws on interviews conducted for ECA's Sustainable Africa Series.

Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: [email protected]