The African Development Bank (AFDB) is working with Co-Creation Hub, The Creative Economy Practice at CcHUB and Syndicate by CcHUB to execute the AFDB Fashionomics Accelerator programme that will enable African entrepreneurs operating in the textile, Apparel and Accessories (TA&A) industry to scale and expand their businesses.
Applications to the programme have been opened.
The AFDB Fashionomics Accelerator Programme is an initiative of the African Development Bank that aims to increase Africa’s participation in the global textile and fashion industry value chain. The acceleration programme will be focused on growth-stage startups in the fashion industry that have launched a business and are focused on building a customer base, maintaining cash flow and potentially expanding their product lines or markets.
According to a statement from the CcHUB, some of the criteria for admittance into the Accelerator programme include:
Applicants must be an African national above 18 years of age.
- Start-up must have a legal presence and should be registered as a corporate entity in the African country of operation.
- Fashion Start-up must be at the growth stage (must have existed for at least three years and have solid traction with clear products, sales channels and customer base).
- Fashion Start-up must operate in the textile, apparel and accessories ecosystem, including but not limited to fashion designing and dressmaking, accessories design and making, textile design, fashion illustration, and fashion photography.
The statement further encouraged technology-enabled fashion businesses and service providers to apply before the October 23, 2022 application deadline.
Top applicants will be onboarded into an accelerator program where they will be granted:
- Access to curated resources to help them scale and expand their business.
- Access to a strong community and network of fashion creatives across Africa.
- Opportunity to pitch for funding, up to $20,000.
- Access to specialized fashion business trainings, mentorship, and community led events.
- Access to industry-relevant data insights about the African fashion ecosystem.
- Opportunities to pitch their fashion solutions and receive critical feedback and suggestions from industry experts.
