The African proverb wisely says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Eme Bassey believes collaboration is the key to achieving speed and sustainability in the African fashion industry. The collaboration philosophy lies at the heart of her impactful work within the sector.

Returning to the industry after a two-year hiatus, Eme was filled with renewed hope, yet she was fully aware of the daunting task at hand: building a seamless and effective fashion value chain. Acknowledging that she wasn’t the sole visionary, she opted for a more strategic approach.
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Eme’s strategy was to identify and link outstanding players already contributing to various aspects of the fashion value chain. She positioned herself as a connector, forging links between these accomplished players and organizations to enhance efficiency. Only when clear gaps emerged did she consider creating new solutions from scratch.

Her collaborative approach has yielded remarkable success. Leveraging partnerships has proven to be a pragmatic and cost-effective method for advancing the African fashion industry. As a Partner at CAFET, Eme has skillfully cultivated partnerships with educational institutions, entrepreneurship development centers, and prominent organizations. These collaborations have led to the creation of tailored fashion education programs for African youth, on course to train 100k fashion professionals and entrepreneurs.

Eme firmly believes that partnerships will be the linchpin for realizing her ambitious goals for the fashion industry. According to Eme, “Collaboration isn’t just a strategy; it’s the heartbeat of innovation and the roadmap to a more prosperous and globally influential African fashion industry.”

In the next phase of her efforts, she actively seeks international collaborations to facilitate market access for African fashion entrepreneurs. She is working with governmental entities, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental bodies, and the private sector to bring African fashion to the global stage and ensure African fashion exports achieve their full potential.
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