• Creative industries expand with women at the core, but face persistent financing gaps

• Sector contributes up to $310 billion to GDP and supports 12 million jobs

• Targeted investment seen as critical to scaling women-led enterprises and boosting exports

Africa’s transition toward a more diversified, innovation-driven economy is increasingly supported by the expansion of creative industries, where women play a central role, although limited access to financing continues to constrain growth.

According to a 2026 report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Africa’s Next Growth Frontier: Empowering Women in the Creative Industries, the continent’s creative economy is valued at around $59 billion, a small share of the roughly $2 trillion global market but one with significant growth potential.

Broader estimates suggest the sector’s economic footprint is already substantial. A 2026 ZipDo Education report indicates that Africa’s creative industries contribute up to $310 billion to GDP, employ around 12 million people, and generate approximately $22 billion in exports, equivalent to about 3% of total exports. This highlights the sector’s growing role in job creation and trade diversification.

Women occupy a central position across these value chains. In the fashion and design segment, valued at about $31 billion, they account for more than 60% of the workforce, with participation exceeding 80% in countries such as Kenya and Madagascar, according to BCG. Their role spans production, distribution and value-added services, supporting the development of local industries and export-oriented activities.

Fashion and design illustrate how women-led enterprises are translating creative output into economic value. The African fashion and textile market generates around $31 billion annually, with the design segment contributing approximately $12 billion, according to industry estimates and data compiled by Mediaupdate. The sector directly employs about 1.2 million people and supports an additional 2.8 million jobs through supply chains and retail networks.

Exports are also gaining traction. African fashion exports reached roughly $4.2 billion in 2022, led by South Africa with $1.8 billion, Nigeria with $1.2 billion, and Kenya with $0.5 billion. Women-led initiatives are playing a visible role in this expansion. Lagos Fashion Week, founded by Omoyemi Akerele, showcases more than 60 designers annually to over 40,000 participants, helping position African brands such as Orange Culture and Lisa Folawiyo on international markets.

In Senegal, Tongoro, led by Sarah Diouf, has built export capacity while training local artisans, reinforcing community-based production systems. In East Africa, designers such as Aulgah Nato illustrate how culturally rooted brands can scale within a regional fashion market estimated at nearly $15 billion.

Digital adoption is further strengthening women’s role in the sector. Between 300 million and 400 million Africans actively use social media, providing entrepreneurs with direct access to global consumers, according to Time Africa. This allows women-led businesses to bypass traditional distribution constraints, scale operations and diversify revenue streams, particularly in fashion, digital content and design.

Despite this momentum, structural constraints remain significant. Africa accounts for only about 1.5% of the global creative economy and 2.9% of global creative exports. Access to capital remains a major bottleneck. In 2024, creative sectors attracted less than 1% of venture funding, compared with $1.35 billion for fintech, according to BCG. This gap disproportionately affects women-led enterprises and limits their ability to scale and compete internationally.

Policy and institutional responses are emerging. Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus programme has increased its funding envelope from $1 billion to $2 billion to support creative industries, including women-led businesses. The African Development Bank estimates that scaling the sector could generate hundreds of thousands of formal jobs while increasing export revenues.

BCG estimates that targeted investment in women-led creative enterprises could raise Africa’s share of global creative exports to around 6% by 2030, generating between $150 billion and $160 billion annually. Such expansion would reinforce the continent’s shift toward a more diversified economic model, with women-led industries playing a central role in that transition.

By Cynthia Ebot Takang