Ananse, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and with the support of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Art, Culture & Creative Economy, has launched the Ananse Centre for Design Lagos to empower young fashion creatives with the skills, tools, and market access to grow their small and micro businesses in the creative economy and create sustainable jobs.
The 1,200-square-meter facility Center, located at 10A Nike Art Gallery Road, Lekki Ikate, will help amplify Ananse’s wider goal to enable more than 5,000 emerging fashion and design-focused creatives and create access to 50,000 jobs, with seventy percent of participants being young women.
This initiative will address critical gaps in the fashion industry and serve as a hub for creativity, skills development, and entrepreneurship, further driving innovation and inclusion within Nigeria’s fashion industry.
Participants of the training program will benefit from 22 courses across five modules: Business Skills, Business Development, E-commerce, Marketing, and Product Development, delivered both physically at the Center’s fashion hub and virtually through interactive live sessions.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ananse, Samuel Mensah, said the Center is more than a space, as it is a catalyst for change.
He said by combining training, infrastructure and global market access, the centre is giving thousands of young creatives, especially women, the chance to turn their talent into sustainable livelihoods.
“This launch marks an important step in building a future where African design thrives locally and globally,” he said,
The new Centre will feature training rooms for mentorship and masterclasses, content studios to amplify brands, photography and Computer-Aided Design labs for product development, and specialised studios for leather, clothing, shoes, and bags.
A private showroom will provide space to showcase designs, while co-working spaces will foster collaboration and peer learning.
Though anchored in Lagos, the center will welcome participants from across the continent and has made affordability and accessibility central to its model, ensuring that vulnerable groups, including displaced people, can participate and benefit.
Country Director, Nigeria Program, Mastercard Foundation, Rosy Fynn, said the partnership with Ananse and the unveiling of the Centre reflects the Mastercard Foundation’s strategic commitment to the creative sector as a catalyst for youth opportunity.
“By bringing together training, infrastructure, and access to markets, the Centre creates pathways for young people, especially young women, to thrive, build sustainable livelihoods, and contribute meaningfully to inclusive economic growth,” Fynn said
Designers, artisans, and other creative entrepreneurs can access the Centre’s full range of services – from training programmes and mentorship to machinery rentals, product sampling, studio spaces, and business support.
The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and Creative Economy of Nigeria has also endorsed the Center and signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with Ananse to scale the model nationwide.
Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said the launch of the Centre for aligns with the ministry’s commitment to advancing Nigeria’s creative economy.
“By investing in skills, facilities and global visibility for our designers, we are creating jobs, supporting women and youth, and ensuring Nigerian creativity is recognised on the world stage. Our collaboration with Ananse will help scale this model across the country and secure lasting impact for the sector,” she said.
