Friday, March 29, 2024

Lusaka Global Shapers at Shape Africa 2016 in Mauritius

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Two Global shapers represent Zambia at the Annual Shape Africa Conference in Mauritius. Sekayi Fundafunda and Cosmas Mtesigwa will participate in a number of discussions that bring to the table the theme ‘From Natural Capital to Human Capital: Unlocking Africa’s Greatest Assets’. Sekayi will join a panel  discussion where she will speak about the role that innovation and the African fashion industry can play in Sustainable Economic Development on the African continent.

Shape Africa 2016 which is being hosted by the  Port-Louis Hub in Mauritius aims at focusing on the interaction between Africa’s two key assets: its immense natural capital, and its human capital, in particular the much talked about “youth bulge”.

“Imagine sustainable and Fair trade haute couture MADE IN AFRICA. Or the latest pharmaceutical patents sourced not only from African biodiversity but from African talent. Or still, some of the world’s next best environmental engineers, conservationists, architects, social innovators, creators, consultants, and Fintech disruptors becoming the African trademark. Or again, the world’s next Silicon Valley being on the African continent, with the added value being that it pioneers sustainability. The main question is not whether all of this is possible, but rather how to get there.”

Last year was a cornerstone for the global development agenda with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the new Agenda 2030 and with the signature of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Where does Africa position itself in this new trajectory? Instead of being the stereotypical recipient of aid, can we be active players and drivers of sustainable development?” Port-Louis Hub, Shape Africa 2016.

Be part of the conversation and debate on Social media via the hashtag #ShapeAfrica2016.

 About Sekayi Fundafunda, Lusaka Global Shaper.

Sekayi Fundafunda
Sekayi Fundafunda

Sekayi is a Fashion Consultant & blogger, Business Model and Director of MaFashio Company Limited; Student of Economics and Finance. MaFashio seeks to celebrate Zambian fashion and shine a spotlight on Zambian creativity and spirit.  Sekayi is Passionate about using the Fashion Industry and Economic policy to better the local community through mentorship for young people and encouraging interaction between nascent entrepreneurs.

She is Co-Author of ‘Africa80: Transformation through Collaboration’ a book co-authored by 80 dynamic Global Shapers’ from across the African Continent, believes that gaining knowledge and understanding on the cross-linkages that exist between the fashion industry and other industries, such as agriculture, manufacturing and tech, will better place Africa in a position for global impact.’

Sekayi fundafunda
Sekayi fundafunda

About Cosmas Mtesigwa, Lusaka Global Shaper.

Cosmas Mtesigwa
Cosmas Mtesigwa

Cosmas is the Country Manager for the MeTL Group in Zambia. MeTL Group is a leading economic force in Tanzania with major investments and successful operating companies in all key business sectors. The Group employs about 24,000 people in the region and has diverse interests in trading, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and petroleum, financial services, mobile telephony, infrastructure and real estate, transport and logistics and distribution.

Cosmas Mtesigwa
Cosmas Mtesigwa

 

About the Global Shapers Community

The Global Shapers Community is a network of Hubs developed and led by young people who are exceptional in their potential, their achievements and their drive to make a contribution to their communities.

An Initiative of the World Economic Forum

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. The idea of pegging African sustainable fashion to Fair a Trade is missing the point. The aim should be to produce products that are comparable to those in Western Markets. Fair trade undersells your products and puts you into a beggars basket. Challenge and aim for competitive products.

    The language is very inspirational but not aspirational. Africans need to get away from the second class market driven by pity, charity because you can’t break out of that mould as the image sets hard. Fact is Africa is very rich in natural talent. African art/creativity is very organic, and has not been contextualised. Effectively, innovation is what Africa needs to be doing to challenge existing markets.

    • For example, African Print as in fashion fabrics are the biggest thing to hit the Western ?Fashion scene. Nearly every top designer has been emulating African Print. This Renaisance has by- passed the African fabric artists because of the very same behaviour of undervaluing its own work, being blocked by Western Markets to trade freely. The result was to sell African Prints through Holland where Boer traders knew how to sell high and pay low. Ask the question why, Western consumers prefer to buy a mock-up of African fabrics than buy African? Exactly. A fake African print made by white artist coping the style rather than being indigenous is all the rage. African Print designers have literally missed out on income as copyrights don’t even exist for the original designer who were…

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