Abuja, Nigeria — On 5th November 2025, the NICON Luxury Hotel hosted the CAFA World Press Conference & Unveiling Ceremony 2025, an event that served as the formal unveiling of AfroLiganza as a continental movement and introduced Egbaliganza 2026 as the movement’s working

proof-of-concept ahead of the African Global Fashion Games (AGFG) in 2027.

Organised under the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation and supported by the interim structures of the Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA), the conference set out a practical roadmap for structuring Africa’s fashion and creative economy.

The African Global Fashion Games is a first-of-its-kind, games-format continental showcase that will combine competition, cultural diplomacy, national exhibitions, processions, and creative exchange to create a single platform for talent, trade and tourism across the continent. It is being developed in alignment with the Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA), the emerging continental body under the African Fashion Renaissance movement led by Balogun Lai Labode, PhD, which will formally coordinate its governance and continuity.

The inaugural edition of the African Global Fashion Games is proposed to be hosted in Nigeria in 2027, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of FESTAC ’77, symbolising a convergence of Africa’s cultural heritage and its modern creative renaissance. In partnership with CEBAC, will be Africa’s first-ever continental fashion and culture Olympics, uniting nations under one creative ﬂag and aligning policy with trade, tourism, and innovation.

At the press conference, organisers clarified that AfroLiganza is a movement intended to standardise collaboration across national federations, provide mentorship and pathways for young creatives, and consolidate existing fashion weeks, festivals and trade fairs into a sustainable continental legacy.

Egbaliganza 2026, scheduled for March 2026 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, was presented as the operational pilot to model the Parade of Nations, which will host delegations from 50 African countries.

Balogun Lai-Labode, PhD, Chairman and Creative Director of the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation, Convener of the Afroliganza Movement, and President of CAFA, outlined the movement’s ambition and Nigeria’s role in committing to continental coordination. He noted Nigeria’s formal adoption of the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter and the significance of that step for wider continental engagement. As he said at the conference:

“Today, Nigeria becomes the ﬁrst African nation to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter.”

He went on to set out the economic frame for the initiative, underlining the scale of the opportunity for Africa’s creatives G manufacturers and the intent to convert artistic energy into measurable economic value. He reiterated the movement’s central objective:

“Our vision is simple and profound: to build a $500 billion African fashion economy that integrates culture, heritage, and modern markets. Through CAFA, we will mobilize partnerships, investment, and expertise to ensure that Africa not only designs and produces fashion, but retains the value created across the continent. Nigeria’s leadership today sets the pace for all African nations to follow.”

Balogun Lai-Labode, PhD, Founder and Convener of the Afroliganza Movement and President of CAFA

Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy affrmed the government’s institutional support for CAFA and AfroLiganza. The Minister underlined Nigeria’s decision to lead by example and appealed for collective continental action, saying:

“Nigeria understands the responsibility that comes with leadership, and we have accepted it. But we cannot walk this path alone. What begins here today must continue through shared resolve and collaboration.”

Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy

The conference also highlighted the Confederation’s aim to unify national fashion federations, strengthen textile and fashion value chains, champion youth and inclusion, and mobilise partnerships to scale manufacturing and retain value across the continent.

The Joint Steering Committee, inaugurated in October 2025, was presented as the implementation vehicle responsible for translating the movement’s policy objectives into programmatic action. The Committee will coordinate national festivals, stakeholder engagement and the technical work necessary to stage Egbaliganza 2026 and to prepare for the AGFG in 2027.

Chinny Nwokedi (Chinaenyenwa), Director of Operations at the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation, spoke to the diplomacy and economic promise of the agenda and the Foundation’s work to mobilise practical support:

“In fact, fashion and culture have now become tools of diplomacy for Economic growth and unity in Africa and we are eager and working tirelessly at the level of the foundation to use these tools as stepping stones to achieve the $500B economy for Africans by Africans in the next 5 years.”

Nwokedi “Chinny” Chinaenyenwa, Director of Operations, The Lai Labode Heritage

The movement’s public call is practical and partnership-oriented: CAFA and AfroLiganza invite governments, development partners, investors, cultural institutions and private sector operators to collaborate on scaling infrastructure, strengthening intellectual property protections, and developing trade channels that keep more of the value chain on the continent.

The CAFA World Press Conference 2025 closed with a clear message: AfroLiganza is now public; Egbaliganza 2026 is the next operational step; and AGFG 2027 is the continental event the movement will build toward. The organisers have committed to transparent coordination and national partnership as they move from vision to delivery.