Get Guardian on GoogleAfrica could unlock about $34 billion in annual GDP contribution and create nearly two million permanent industrial jobs by developing local capacity to process cotton into finished garments, the Africa Made It initiative has said.
The continental advocacy platform made this known on Tuesday in Lagos during the launch of its “Power, Protect, Purchase” campaign, which seeks to promote industrialisation through the development of Africa’s fibre-to-fashion value chain.
According to the initiative, Africa currently exports up to 98 per cent of its raw cotton, retaining only about two per cent of the value generated from the commodity while recording an estimated $35 billion annual trade deficit.
It said expanding domestic capacity for cotton spinning, weaving and garment production could generate about $33 billion in additional household income annually, while strengthening industrial employment across the continent.
The campaign is built around three priorities: ensuring reliable and competitive energy for industrial mills, protecting emerging domestic manufacturers from unfair foreign competition, and encouraging consumers to buy locally manufactured products.
Africa Made It said the approach would enable African economies to retain more value from their natural resources instead of exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
The initiative also identified a $1.8 billion capital requirement for critical structural infrastructure needed to transform the continent’s fibre-to-fashion industry and address what it described as the “missing middle” in the value chain.
Beyond the macroeconomic benefits, the campaign highlighted the potential impact on rural economies and women. It said increased local production and purchases could improve capital circulation in rural communities, while formal employment opportunities could expand significantly for women, who currently account for between 70 and 90 per cent of garment factory workers across the continent.
The editor-in-chief of Africa Made It magazine, Marie Wilke, said Africa’s growing influence in global fashion, music and media had not translated into commensurate economic returns because of weak domestic manufacturing capacity.
Wilke said greater integration between cotton production and local processing would allow African countries to retain intellectual property, commercial margins and industrial jobs.
“African culture, design, and storytelling influence global fashion, music, and media like never before. Yet, without domestic manufacturing infrastructure, Africa’s creative authority yields very little economic return,” she said.
She added that linking raw cotton production to domestic processing would help retain more economic value on the continent.
Africa Made It was established as a continental advocacy platform to support Africa’s transition from a primary exporter of raw materials into an economy that controls, processes and monetises its own resources.
The fashion industry is being used as the initiative’s first major example, with the platform coordinated by a network that includes AllAfrica Media, Africa24, Africa No Filter, Africa Practice, Afreximbank, AKAS Consulting, Bird Story Agency, IC Publications and Research Alpha.
The campaign was launched at the CANEX weekend in Lagos on November 10, 2026, with the organisers positioning local manufacturing as a pathway to greater industrial sovereignty and investment across Africa.
