The African Development Bank’s ‘Fashionomics Africa’ initiative on Tuesday launched its first webinar series to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fashion industry.

In total, 136 fashion entrepreneurs, digital innovators and creative minds joined the discussion.

The theme of the first session of the series was: “What does the COVID-19 disruption mean for Africa’s Fashion Market? Opportunities and Threats for Fashionpreneurs and Investors.”

Vanessa Moungar, Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department at the African Development Bank said:“Supporting investment for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the creative and cultural industries, creating the right environment for the financial sector to play its full part in powering growth, lies at the heart of the African Development Bank’s agenda.”

The participants exchanged ideas and shared lessons learned on how to take advantage of online tools to strengthen their businesses.

Panelists included representatives from supply chain giant, Maersk, and otherplayers in the creative industry.

Sarah Diouf, Founder of Tongoro, an online e-commerce platform said: “African fashion is rising right now. African designers need to develop their unique business model and have to be innovative.”

“It’s a tool that we can truly leverage to our advantage. Africa has many stories to share and tell,” she noted.

Other panelists indicated that sustainability was going to be key to the future of fashion, and that African fashion brands “need to be ready to answer the questions they will be asked.”