Eme Bassey

Nacionalidad: Nigeria

Nombre de la Organización: Centre for African Fashion Education and Technology (CAFET)

Región de Impacto: Africa

Sobre el Negocio Social: CAFET is dedicated to transforming the African fashion industry through education, strategic partnerships, and technological advancement. By developing initiatives that empower fashion entrepreneurs and small businesses, CAFET addresses the inadequacies of infrastructure and sourcing skilled labor. They offer affordable access to fashion technology through Fashion Innovation and Technology (FIT) Hubs, as well as consultation and trade services through Affarel, their wholesale trade and sourcing arm. Recent work, among a notable roster of projects, includes a fashion certificate program in partnership with Yaba College of Technology that aims to upskill over 100,000 fashion entrepreneurs, and a partnership with Fidelity (FITCC) to spearhead market access initiatives for 10 emerging fashion brands, positioning them for prime global competitiveness.

Sobre el Y&Y Fellow: Eme Bassey, inspired by her mother’s passion for sewing, realized the potential in Africa’s fashion industry while studying Economics at the American University of Nigeria. After further research at the University of the Arts in London, she founded Inighi Limited, a B2C apparel brand that received the highest SMB grant from the Nigerian Ministry of Finance. After working as a consultant for different fashion brands and educational programs, Bassey continues to drive her vision of empowering African fashion through CAFET. Outside of CAFET, she works to improve infrastructure and market access development, and spearheaded a partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Cross River State Government (CRSG) in 2023. As a Y&Y Fellow, she is eager to leverage the fellowship’s resources to refine her initiatives, expand her impact, and foster sustainable economic development in Africa’s fashion sector.