The entrepreneurial opportunities in fashion and textile can be fully harnessed when stakeholders in the industry work together with the government, to make it more economically viable to translate to job creation, tourism, and promotion of culture, among others.

Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Prof. Joseph Odemuyiwa stated this during the 2022 Fashion Runway Show and Graduation of Belart Institute of Fashion and Textiles in Asero, Abeokuta, saying effective collaboration in the industry would further contribute to the economic development of the country.

Odemuyiwa noted that the world of fashion could not be put away as there were benefits derivable in the industry, stating that, ‘’clothing is recognised as one of the foremost needs of man and the present administration has continued to promote technical and vocational education in that line, while the fashion and textile industry is well captured in our several interventions”.

The Governor’s aide revealed that the State government’s campaign on the need to embrace at least a trade subject by secondary school students and vocation for graduates irrespective of their specialisation and level of education had helped to reduce unemployment, insecurity, and youth restiveness, among others.

He assured that the government would continue to support the private sector, to further make the fashion industry attractive for the youth to explore, appreciating the Institute and graduands for their efforts in promoting technical and vocational education.

Speaking earlier, the Business Development Manager, Belart Institute of Fashion and Textiles, Mr. Olorunshola Osasona, said the Institute’s drive to continuously showcase the immense talent of the youths by meaningfully engaging them in the society, would serve as a tool for social mobilisation and create an enabling environment for them to thrive.

Also speaking, the  Head of Development Finance, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Abeokuta, Dr. Oluyemisi Olukoya, stated that the apex bank had a creative industry financing initiative for fashion, whose objective was to provide long-term and low-cost finance for entrepreneurs,  to boost their businesses after satisfying necessary conditions of having good credit record, bankable project, and recommendations, among others.