The Founder, Lagos Leather Fair and Creative Director of Femi Handbags, Mrs. Femi Olayebi, has stated that the lack of skilled artisans in the nation’s leather industry is hindering the growth potential of the leather sector.

Olayebi, while addressing a press briefing to herald its Lagos Leather Fair 5 (LLF5) scheduled to hold on the 11th and 12th of June 2022, explained that Nigeria lacks the right skills set required to explore the leather industry to compete globally.

She added that aside the dearth of craftsmanship vital for Nigeria’s competitiveness at the global scene, the industry is also faced with myriads of challenges ranging from lack of infrastructure, logistics and other bottlenecks hindering leather manufacturing concerns.

She however called on the government on the need to upscale the skill set of craftsmen and women to take the sector to its desired height.

In her words: “There is not enough personnel in the leather space. The leather we produce is not good enough for the kinds of products we produce. The country is yet to invest in the value addition of its endowed natural resources.”

She also advised the federal government to intensify its backward integration efforts to ensure that all raw materials needed for the growth of the industry are 100 per cent sourced locally.

Speaking in relation to the Lagos Leather Fair exhibition, she said the initiative has recorded tremendous growth in the last three years, as the number of exhibitors has increased, while the steady growth of the fair has caught the attention of the public and private spheres.

She added that the LLF5 is a yearly retail showcase of West Africa’s leading leather brands created in 2017. She said the primary aim is to create awareness of the potential value of the leather industry by first providing a much-needed platform for leather designers to showcase their talent, then working at finding sustainable solutions to move the industry forward, and change the narrative within a neglected and misunderstood sector.

Also speaking, a Creative Entrepreneur, Founder and Head Designer at Morin O, Mrs. Maureen Obaweya, said the fair has brought a lot of awareness and players in the leather value chain together to showcase the potentials of the Nigerian leather industry.