Sterling Bank has backed Nigeria’s fashion and creative SMEs as the headline sponsor of the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria x Made By Nigerians Festival 2025 (AFWN x MBN Fest 2025), connecting more than 250 fashion entrepreneurs to local and international markets.
The two-day event brought together designers, small business owners and trade entrepreneurs, providing a platform for Nigerian fashion brands to showcase products, engage buyers and strengthen commercial visibility. The festival comes at a time when fashion is one of the fastest-growing segments of Nigeria’s creative economy, estimated to be worth $4.7 billion.
The fair focused on emerging designers with three to seven years of industry experience, offering them opportunities to expand market reach and build global relevance. It also doubled as a retail and trade fair, enabling participating SMEs to sell directly to thousands of visitors while strengthening brand recognition and customer engagement.
Sterling Bank’s Chief Marketing Officer, Don Okpako, said the bank’s support aligns with its broader strategy of enabling entrepreneurs who contribute to economic growth. He noted that beyond its core focus areas of health, education, agriculture, renewable energy and transportation, the bank continues to invest in Nigeria’s creative economy as a source of jobs, innovation and exports.
According to Okpako, supporting platforms that create access to markets and visibility for small businesses is critical to sustaining entrepreneurship and economic inclusion.
Chief Project Officer of Made By Nigerians, Chidimma Okoli, said the collaboration helped reduce barriers faced by local fashion entrepreneurs by providing access to buyers, networks and commercial opportunities. She noted that the platform was designed to help Nigerian creators scale sustainably and compete beyond local markets.
Founder and Executive Director of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and London, Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, said the partnership strengthened AFWN’s long-standing mission of helping African designers grow through mentorship, exposure and business support. She added that the 2025 edition ranked among the most commercially impactful showcases, with increased participation from small and growing fashion businesses.
The festival highlighted the role of fashion SMEs in job creation, youth employment and Nigeria’s growing creative exports, reinforcing the sector’s contribution to economic diversification and enterprise development.
