Business of Ghanaian Fashion Summit launched to tackle industry challenges

Ghana’s fashion industry received a major push towards growth and sustainability with the launch of The Business of Ghanaian Fashion (BoGF) Summit and its accompanying Year-Round Capacity Building Initiative at the Kempinski Hotel, Accra, on Tuesday.

The event, spearheaded by Fashion Nexus Ghana, aims to tackle some of the most persistent challenges facing the country’s fashion ecosystem while creating opportunities for designers, textile producers, manufacturers, policymakers, financiers, and educators to collaborate.

Hilary Andoh, founder of Fashion Nexus Ghana and project lead for the BoGF initiative, explained that the platform emerged from the findings of the State of the Ghanaian Fashion Industry Report, which identified deep structural issues in the sector.

“After our report, the question was what next? Fashion Nexus Ghana is our solution to what’s next. One of our first initiatives is this summit, which brings together the right stakeholders, and the year-round training programme that follows,” Andoh said.

According to her, the research highlighted multiple challenges: limited access to finance, skills gaps, inadequate government engagement, and lack of manufacturing flexibility.

“Accessing finance is very difficult, and even when available, the interest rates and repayment terms are not suited to the fashion cycle. Beyond that, finding skilled talent is a problem, and some government policies have not adequately involved the industry’s stakeholders,” Andoh noted.

She added that designers often face a mismatch with manufacturers, who usually demand large production volumes, whereas many local brands may only need small runs of 200 or 300 pieces.

To address these hurdles, the initiative will focus on stakeholder dialogue, targeted training, and innovative financing models that align with the fashion production cycle. Andoh urged financial institutions to rethink their facilities to better support creative entrepreneurs.

“By the time a designer is done with concept development, sampling, and testing, they cannot repay within a year. Facilities must be reimagined. At the same time, government can create greater awareness of policies and bring more stakeholders to the table before designing interventions,” she emphasized.

She welcomed recent steps by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), particularly the introduction of the Modified Tax system, which encourages small businesses to formalise operations by paying a flat annual levy.

“Formalisation opens doors to funding. With initiatives like the Modified Tax, designers can register, access financing, and grow their businesses,” she said, urging fashion entrepreneurs to take advantage of both GRA’s system and the BoGF training programmes, which will be run in partnership with institutions such as the University of Ghana Business School.

In a solidarity message, UNESCO praised the initiative as timely and transformative.

A representative from UNESCO said the programme comes at a defining moment when fashion is increasingly recognised as an engine of innovation, entrepreneurship, and cultural dialogue.

“Fashion is a vibrant part of our cultural expression, driving economic growth, sustainable development, and international trade. Ghana has already showcased the richness of its textile heritage with the inscription of Kente on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” the representative stated.

He highlighted UNESCO’s research, which shows that Africa’s fashion industry has the potential to create millions of jobs, empower women and youth, and promote the continent’s identity globally.

“The Business of Ghanaian Fashion and Capacity-Building Initiative directly strengthens Ghana’s creative economy by focusing on business development, investor readiness, and export scaling,” he said.

UNESCO further reaffirmed its commitment to supporting creative industries in Ghana, stressing that fashion represents a bridge between heritage and modernity.

“By building networks, strengthening industry structures, and promoting indigenous textiles, this initiative contributes to Ghana’s cultural vibrancy, economic transformation, and the Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.

The summit gathered representatives from government, academia, fashion brands, and development partners, underscoring the broad coalition needed to drive the sector forward.