Lomé, Togo (PANA) – Nigerien fashion designer, Alphadi, who opened a boutique in Brooklyn last year, called this week for the development of the textile industry and fashion in Africa.
Alphadi, whose real name is Sidhamed Seidnaly, made the call during a roundtable on the “Development of the textile industry and fashion in Africa: Challenges and Prospects” during the Traditional Cloth Fair in the Togolese capital.
There is the need to build a policy aimed at developing the textile industry on the continent for the benefit of fashion to boost the battered African economy, Alphadi said.
“There is potential in Africa and the push must come from the political will of policy makers,” he said, adding that he did not understand why African policymakers did not take advantage of business and trade opportunities like African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to develop the textile industry and export African fashion.
He urged economists and bankers to reconsider their views on the textile industry, particularly fashion, which they did not consider an area for business and development.
“I do not understand why Africans are dressed by foreign firms whereas everything can be done on the continent,” he said.
Praising the involvement of women marketing traditional cloth in Togo, known as “Nana Benz” who made fortunes from textile and traditional cloth, Mr. Alphadi encouraged the younger generation to do better for Togo in particular and African in general.
The Fair has been organized by the Togolese Chamber of Commerce and Industry which seeks to perpetuate the culture of wearing traditional cloth in Togo to revive and promote its trade.
