‎Ethnocentrique’s Fashion Future Programme (FFP) has generated over 10,000 primary and secondary jobs in Aba, Abia State, while supporting the development of more than 4,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
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‎The programme, implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, reached 10,379 people across Aba and surrounding communities, with over 6,000 participants trained and certified under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), according to organisers.
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‎Speaking at the close of the pilot phase of the initiative during the Fashion Games 2026, Programme Coordinator, Jeremiah Ubunama, said the intervention was designed to reposition fashion as a viable economic sector rather than a purely creative endeavour.
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‎“When we came to Aba, we asked a simple question: what if we stop seeing fashion as style and start seeing it as an economy?” he said, noting that over N200 million in orders had been processed through programme-supported businesses.
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‎The initiative also recorded significant inclusion metrics, with women accounting for over 80 per cent of participants, while 282 persons with disabilities established businesses through the programme.
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‎Also speaking, Country Director for Nigeria Mastercard Foundation, Rosy Fynn said the programme has exceeded its targets, with results recorded in economic participation, inclusion and enterprise development for young women and persons with disabilities.
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‎Chief Executive Officer of Ethnocentrique, Irunna Ejibe, said the programme was structured to address fragmentation within the fashion ecosystem, stressing that lack of coordination across production, finance and policy continues to hinder industry growth.
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‎“Ecosystems don’t fail from lack of effort, but from lack of coordination,” she said, adding that the model integrates skills development, access to finance and market linkages.
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‎Ejibe further disclosed that the initiative led to the creation of a coordinated platform in partnership with the Abia State Government, which has helped structure over 4,000 small businesses, while clustering 99 MSMEs into cooperatives to improve their access to financing.
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‎Stakeholders at the event identified limited access to finance, weak production systems and inconsistent quality standards as key barriers to scaling Nigeria’s fashion sector, despite the abundance of talent across the country.
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‎They noted that improving governance structures, record-keeping and business formalisation among MSMEs would be critical to unlocking sustainable funding and expanding production capacity.
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‎Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting local production, positioning Aba as a potential hub for competitive fashion manufacturing in Nigeria.
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‎In addition, over 100 Business Development Service Providers were established under the programme, providing training support to more than 4,000 MSMEs in the state.
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‎The organisers said insights from the pilot phase would be used to scale the model, with a focus on building coordinated systems to drive employment, enterprise growth and global competitiveness in Nigeria’s fashion industry.