Where did the idea of Fashionomics originate?

The initiative originated from the interest Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the Special Envoy on Gender, expressed in the topic. She saw the potential for this project to develop jobs for young people in Africa, particularly for young women, who make up the majority of the labour force in the fashion and textile industries.

Is Fashionomics just intended for Sub-Saharan Africa, or does it also include North Africa?

This is a pan-African initiative. It includes all African countries, and even the diaspora.

When will the website be officially launched?

We are finalising the prototype between now and the end of 2016. The platform will be operational in the first quarter of 2017.

What are the initiative's first steps?

A marketing operation to raise awareness about the platform will be launched on social media and the project will be presented in detail in three African capitals and one European capital, to the principal players in the sector and to important financiers and donors who want to form partnerships with the Bank. We have to continue to provide the database with as much data as possible on designers, producers, buyers, vendors, investors and financial partners. Finally, we will implement a strategy to finalise the functionality offered by Fashionomics platform and recruit an outside partner to manage the final version. The website will go public in the first quarter of 2017.