Promoting the
Ivorian textile and fashion industry

The boom and potential of the craft industry in Côte d'Ivoire

The textile and fashion sectors in Côte d'Ivoire have tremendous potential in terms of job creation, valorisation of local products and income generation for vulnerable populations. When leveraging their potential, job creation in these sectors can be a strong contribution to the fight against poverty.

In recent years, the two industries have experienced rapid growth, with both making significant contributions to the industrial transformation of Africa and generating millions of employment opportunities on the continent. Yet, the cotton value chain still holds enormous potential that has not been fully exploited.

That is why we support the textile and fashion industry to reach its full potential and thus contribute to the creation of good jobs in Côte d'Ivoire.

Vocational promotion for young tailors

To find out how to best contribute to the positive development of the textile sector in Côte d'Ivoire, Invest for Jobs in collaboration with the Business Scouts for Development Network have commissioned a background study in 2021. The results identified several promising ways to further develop this industry and revealed that one of the major obstacles in Côte d'Ivoire is the lack of qualified human resources.

To help remove this barrier to investment, Invest for Jobs partners with Comoé Capital, a private investment fund dedicated entirely to financing and supporting start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa. Comoé Capital is helping Tropic 105, the fashion house of the designer Moussa Cissé know as Ciss St. Moise and Ivorian textile SME, expand by acquiring an additional, more modern production unit for ready-to-wear clothing lines. Invest for Jobs supports a complementary training program for the new employees Tropic 105 needs for its expansion. With this support system, Tropic 105 will be able to better respond to growing orders from national and international companies.

The training program will specifically teach the skills required for running Tropic 105’s new production unit. The training spans several months and consists of both theoretical and practical modules that are taught in Abidjan, the largest urban area in the country. It is particularly aimed at young people and women. The beneficiaries are graduates of the 'Institut de Formation et d’Education Féminine (IFEF)', which is the first institution of female education in Côte d’Ivoire, open to both young men and women. Graduates of IFEF have received basic education which, however, is not specific to the textile industry. Additional and specialized training is therefore necessary in order to qualify them for jobs in the booming textile sector.

In the trainings beneficiaries are taught basic principles and techniques for both sewing professions and supervisory roles.

Supporting the growth of creative companies in Africa

An initial cohort of 24 graduates from IFEF has undergone an extensive training program spanning several months, commencing in October 2022. Out of the 24 participants, 22 were trained to become skilled tailors, while the remaining two were trained to become proficient production supervisors. Upon successful completion of the training program, all 24 participants, the entire first cohort, were immediately hired by Tropic 105.

A second cohort of 18 beneficiaries of the program underwent training in January 2023. Among them, nine have successfully secured employment at the Ivorian fashion house Tropic 105. Furthermore, three of them have successfully established their own sewing studios, while two individuals have secured positions at another fashion house.

Overall, the project has successfully created new jobs, contributing to the development of the textile and fashion industry in Abidjan and strengthening Côte d’Ivoire’s positioning on that market.

The Textile Operators Training is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH within the framework of the Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition” of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).