Private Sector Operators Move to Establish Initiative to Empower Fashion Designers

Dike Onwuamaeze

With the engine of the African Continental Trade Agreement revving to go, the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) has initiated a move that would rally players in the Nigerian textile, apparel and garments industries to establish a Sector Skills Council (SSC) that would oversee the training and certifications of practitioners in Nigerian fashion designing sector.

The SSC, according to its promoters, would bring the industry and the academia together to develop qualification, standards and curriculum that would be taught in Nigerian polytechnics, universities and technical colleges in order to produce competent workforce that would bridge the skill gap hindering the country’s fashion designing industry from realising its potentials.

The fashion industry contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Q1 2021, was estimated at 0.24 per cent by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The members of the OPSN behind the establishment of the SSC are the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Assembly, the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI).

They are working in collaboration with international organisations like the Skill Development for Youth Employment (SKYE), the German Cooperation (GIZ) and the Sequa.

Delivering the lead presentation during the ongoing three-day forum for the establishment of the SSC, which commenced on Tuesday, June 6, in Lagos State, the Senior Expert/Team Leader of TVET UK, Mr. Stephan John, said the textile, apparel and garment industries in Nigeria needed the SSC to be part of the dynamic and vibrant global fashion market.

John said the SSC should, “be responsible for defining the skills, knowledge and behaviours to underpin human resource development and support young people in their journey to a professional career.”

The SSC, according to him, would promote human capital development through training in all parts of industry in order to produce highly skilled workforce that are more productive and competitive.

He said the council would also engender the evolvement of high performing workplaces for more adaptable workforce that would provide value for money for employers, and strong community links.

Speaking during the forum, Team Leader, Cooperative Vocational Training Component of Sequa, Mr. Johann-Peter Porten, who also represented SKYE and GIZ, said the SSC would focus on developing national occupational standard for Nigeria.

Porten said: “I am happy that the OPSN is the driving force to developing this kind of council for standard. The SSC will be independent only focusing in their sector and looking on how human resource should be developed.

“Nigeria cannot for now present standard product that can be exported because it has so far not paid enough attention to developing uniform standards.”

Speaking on behalf of the OPSN, the Deputy Director General of NASSI, Ms. Mo Olumide Obidiran, said the time was ripe for the SSC to be established after several failed attempts.

Obidiran said: “I know that a lot of you have been in this processes before this one, which did not turn out as envisaged. But I want to assure you that today you are in a room full of committed people. We have fought tooth and nail to be able to be here today. And I want to assure you that we will fight all the way.”

She added: “Previously this profession was for school dropout and does not require any form of certification. But it is not supposed to be so.

“There are so many streams of professionalism within this industry that is wrapped up in fashion designing. We must come together and do it now. The demand for your products is global.

“A few weeks ago we had things to do with the United States of America’s commercial service discussed the growing demand for African fashion in the United States.

“But we also found out that we do not have the skill base and capacity to approach the state of Atlanta to create an African Fashion Village.

“Do you have enough skills and hands to fill that need? No! But the time is now. We should tell our people that it is time to do this (establish SSC) and do it together. It is now or never.”

The forum attracted representatives from the University of Lagos, Yaba College of Technology and the participation of the Director General of Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association, Mr. Hamma Kwajaffa.