At 32, Nafisa Hafiz, is weaving her success story through fabric and design, becoming a rising star in the fashion industry. Hafiz is the founder and creative director of NUCY, a ready-to-wear clothing enterprise whose acclaim extends beyond Sudan, her home country, to East Africa and the Middle East.
Hafiz has won awards, been featured on global television networks, and attended international fashion events such as the launch of the BRICS International Fashion Federation. Yet this success was hard-won, built on harrowing experiences and remarkable resilience.
Hafiz founded NUCY in 2014, inspired by Sudan's beautiful clothing heritage that was largely undocumented and unknown to many in her country of origin, not to mention globally. Her vision was to integrate this heritage into contemporary fashion design on the global stage.
NUCY flourished until armed conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023 and brought Hafiz's business and her life as she knew it, to a halt.
"I lost everything after more than eight years of hard work," she said. "I went through moments of frustration, fear, and helplessness."
She considered abandoning the fashion business and starting in a different job to help her family survive. "I couldn't imagine spending another eight years rebuilding what was lost," she admitted.
Adding to her challenges, the war broke out shortly after Hafiz enrolled in the second cohort of the African Development Bank's Fashionomics Africa programme, which mentors entrepreneurs and businesses in textiles, apparel, and accessories over eight weeks. The training is done entirely online. Displacement forced Hafiz to leave the cohort as she could not readily access the internet.
The Bank's Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund and the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance financed the Fashionomics Africa training programme. Fashionomics Africa provides creative entrepreneurs with practical tools and networks that help them grow sustainable enterprises It is one of several Bank initiatives creating jobs for African youth.
Once resettled in Qatar, Hafiz slowly regained her footing, re-applied and was accepted into another Fashionomics Africa training series in 2024. "[Fashionomics Africa] felt like a spark of hope had reignited my confidence and determination to rise and rebuild," she said.
Through Fashionomics Africa, Hafiz learned business development planning, the use of artificial intelligence and modern technologies, and supply chain management.
Hafiz said Fashionomics Africa helped her tell the NUCY story online and embrace social commerce. She displays clothing designs and sells products directly through social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. For a displaced entrepreneur, maintaining a strong digital presence became a survival requirement rather than a 'nice-to-have.' Hafiz says her business hinged on online presence as she could not physically meet her customers or have a store.
Blessing Azubike, Acting Head of Programs, CcHUB Creative Economy Practice, which facilitated Fashionomics Africa, said Hafiz's story shows how investment in skills unlocks both economic and cultural impact.
"Hafiz's journey is a powerful reminder of what is possible when talent meets the right support at the right time," said Azubike. "Despite facing displacement and the loss of what she had built, she returned with clarity, resilience, and a renewed vision for NUCY that is now translating into measurable growth and regional expansion."
Hafiz credits Fashionomics Africa for the mentoring and skills building that helped her steadily increase her revenue by 20 percent last year, expand her customer base across the Middle East and East Africa, and participate in global exhibitions. Now, NUCY is working to attract additional investments to increase production capacity.
Fashion as a Force of Change
Hafiz said that Fashionomics Africa provided her with opportunities to share her experiences to help other entrepreneurs facing displacement and business disruption. In December 2024, she collaborated with the International Organization for Migration to help displaced persons and migrants transform their talents into sustainable sources of income. The initiative, called 'Threads of Equality,' took place in Qatar.
"Fashion is not just about design or business--it is a means to make a real difference in people's lives, even in the most difficult times," Hafiz said. "NUCY goes beyond being just a brand; it is a message that art and fashion are profound, gentle forces of change."
Fashionomics Africa demonstrates the Bank's commitment to helping young people find jobs and build businesses by providing fashion entrepreneurs with better access to funding, customers, market information, training, and practical business support.
"Fashionomics Africa shows how we turn young people's talents into real earning power, helping Africa benefit from its young population by building lasting businesses," said Dr Martha Phiri, the Bank's Director, Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development.
"By giving young business owners the skills, connections, and support they need, we're doing more than just starting companies -- we're building strong economies that hinge on Africa's greatest strength, that is, its young people," she added.
