The Federal Ministry of Environment has endorsed Meet Africa Fashion Festival (MAFEST), describing the international event as novel and worthy of its collaboration.
The fashion festival is being organised by Mena Communications Limited in collaboration with Vanguard Media Group Limited and Modela Couture; with the support of Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDO Europe), Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Africa (NIDO Africa), PRTimes Africa, and Nigerian Fashion magazine.
In a letter of endorsement addressed to the President of MAFEST, Mr. Charles Ozoemena, by the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Abbas Lawal, dated March 26, 2024 and signed on his behalf by the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS), Stanley Jonah, the Minister pledged his ministry’s full backing of the programme.
One of the sidelines of Meet Africa Fashion Festival is an annual Eco-Friendly workshop where up-and-coming fashion designers, especially women and youth, will be exposed to the modern trends of using waste materials to design fashion wear in commercial quantity. The idea is in support of initiatives by the Federal Ministry of Environment towards ensuring the achievement of the circular economy policy of the federal government.
The Minister in the endorsement letter said: “It is exciting that the festival aims at celebrating the continent’s diverse cultures and traditions using a circular economy approach. We believe that this aligns with the Ministry’s efforts at reducing carbon emissions and mitigation of toxic waste in the country.”
He commended the initiators of MAFEST for conceptualising the event in support of the circular economy and Nigeria’s Climate Change Act of 2021.
According to the Minister, “We are certain that our collaboration will not only increase the visibility of the Meet Africa Fashion Festival, but also have a positive impact on the broader goals of promoting a healthy environment and economic empowerment which is one of our ministry’s objectives.”
The dates of the four-day festival will be announced in June this year.
Meet Africa Fashion Festival is an iconic international brand designed to be a convergence of key stakeholders in Africa’s fashion ecosystem and garment industry. Targeted at influencing African governments and financial institutions to invest in Africa’s fashion and garment industry, considering its vastness as the second largest creator of jobs and wealth after agriculture, MAFEST seeks to showcase on this global stage Africa’s unparalleled array of creative prowess that celebrates the sartorial marvels of Africa.
The show also makes way for budding fashion designers and models to gain international recognition, offering them opportunities to showcase their abundant talents on the runway, parading their couture creations, avant-garde designs and cutting-edge innovations.