Funding for Ankara Handicrafts in Zimbabwe: Textiles and clothing are a fundamental part of everyday life and an important sector in the global economy. Cotton production accounts for nearly 7% of total employment in some low-income countries. Although the largest textile producing countries today are China and India, “made in Africa” is gaining ground. Many brands are moving their production from Asian to African countries.
The demand for African designs, fabrics and garments is increasing within and outside the continent. Currently, in sub-Saharan Africa, the combined apparel and footwear market is valued at US$31 billion. The textile industry in Africa is estimated to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of ~5% during the forecast period 2019–2024.
Identifying this problem
Gladys is a young award-winning creative entrepreneur known for her personalized, eco-friendly, handmade Ankara notebooks and gift sets. She has managed to use her love of art in an extraordinary way. In her quest to challenge the status quo, fighting discrimination and stigma, Gladys has successfully elevated craft, proving that it is a viable industry and that craft can be a profession. Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, she applied her experience and knowledge by starting her own business. She used her artistic skills to develop a brand called Krafted Ink, an innovative arts and crafts oriented organization.
Specializing in African textile magazines and gift wrapping, she has mastered the art of color matching in gift wrapping to ensure lasting smiles in people’s lives. Handmade products include journals, diaries, gift bags and gift boxes with African print fabric. Gladys began her journey at the age of 21 out of her desire to support the African ideals of gift sharing. It has been making memories ever since.
Manufacture of handmade crafts of Ankara
Gladys achieved this feat thanks to the TEF programme, which helped her achieve her dreams as an entrepreneur.
“Without the Tony Elumelu Foundation Programme, there was no chance, no chance of my business idea taking off. Not only did the program help with the business plan, but it also helped me evaluate customer acquisitions and the business canvas helped me figure out where to source resources. In addition, I learned how to make smart partnerships with Entrepreneurs across Africa because I was exposed to network during the program.”
“We’ve had increased visibility which has helped our users go from 50 a year to over 50,000 users now and still counting with over 10 distributors in 36 states.”
She recently launched an advocacy project entitled Dignity for Her Product to provide a holistic approach to driving change through product, education and advocacy, combined with integrated menstrual hygiene management and sexual reproductive planning health for adolescent girls. So far, 300 girls have been trained with the hope of training in 2000 by the end of 2022.
A revenue model was established that allowed these girls to earn commissions from selling Virtuous Reusable Pads, which empowered them and made them less vulnerable. The innovation is to assign the girls’ guardians as drop shippers for reusable pads in the community. The girls then sell these pads in their community, creating economic opportunities and helping to break the cycle of poverty.
He gave another grant and won an additional $15000, $5000 from the AGS Enterprise Challenge tribe by winning first place during the pitch competition (Now Herconomy E) and $10000 from the 2019 funding space through Rising tide Africa during the pitch competition .
ABOUT THE TONY ELUMELU FOUNDATION
The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading philanthropy empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, driving poverty eradication, helping to create jobs in all 54 African countries and ensuring inclusive economic empowerment. Since the launch of the TEF Entrepreneurship Program in 2015, the Foundation has trained over 1.5 million young Africans in its digital hub, TEF connection, and disbursed nearly $100 million in direct funding to 18,000 African women and men, who have collectively created more than 400,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Foundation’s mission is rooted in African capitalism, which places the private sector, and especially entrepreneurs, as a catalyst for the social and economic development of the African continent.
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