Scaling Women-Led Shoemaking Clusters In Nigeria’s Leather Industry

Nigeria’s leather industry is one of the country’s most promising, yet paradoxically underdeveloped economic opportunities.

Despite abundant raw hides and skins, tanneries in Kano and Sokoto with decades of history, and a cultural tradition of artisanal leatherwork from the North to the South, Nigeria still exports most of its raw hides in unprocessed form and imports the finished shoes it could easily make at home.

In the past decade, however, a new generation of female shoemakers has emerged, founders designing, handcrafting, and branding made-in-Nigeria footwear for local and global markets.

Some examples include Oluwaseun Ayeni, founder, Shoegame Africa. Ayeni is a leading light in Nigeria’s bespoke shoemaking scene. Through Shoegame Africa, she has championed handcrafted, luxury-quality shoes made with locally sourced leather. Titi Adesa, founder, Titi Adesa, an emerging premium footwear designer trained in London, but produces luxury shoes that incorporate Nigerian aesthetics and materials.

However, to turn these pioneering individual efforts into a thriving cluster that competes with the likes of Ethiopia’s leather sector, Morocco’s heritage craft hubs, or India’s small-scale footwear towns, Nigeria needs a clear plan to scale production, train artisans, attract capital, and build world-class brands.

Why Focus on Women-Led Clusters?

Women are already active at every stage of the leather value chain, from tanning and stitching to finishing and retail. Yet, they are often excluded from financing, organised training, modern equipment, and export market access. Deliberately nurturing women-led shoemaking clusters is not only a social equity issue, but it is smart economics.

Global data shows that women reinvest up to 90% of their earnings back into families and communities. Empowering them through scalable clusters can multiply jobs, local value addition, and Nigeria’s global brand as a leather hub.

Learning from Others: What Emerging Economies Got Right

Ethiopia: Building Global Competitiveness through Anchor Factories and Export Standards

What they did: Ethiopia turned its historic leather industry into Africa’s top exporter of finished shoes and bags by attracting anchor investors like Pittards and Huajian Group (China). These factories didn’t just produce at scale; they trained thousands of workers, mostly women, in modern stitching, finishing, and quality control.

Lesson for Nigeria: Anchor factories can coexist with clusters of smaller workshops. Policy incentives can link small female-led ateliers to larger tanneries and factories through supply contracts and shared processing facilities.

Morocco: Leveraging Cultural Heritage and Cluster Branding

What they did: Morocco’s Fez and Marrakech leather souks combined centuries-old craft with modern branding. Artisans, many of them women, were organised into clusters with support for collective bargaining, quality standards, and international promotion under a single brand identity.

Lesson for Nigeria: Local shoemakers in Aba, Kano, Lagos, and Ibadan can be clustered by geography and craft style, then marketed under one trusted Nigerian leather mark that signals authenticity, quality, and ethical sourcing.

India: Small Is Big – Empowering Small Producers through Cooperatives

What they did: India’s Agra and Kanpur footwear clusters thrive because small workshops (often family-run) are linked through cooperatives that give them access to bulk raw material procurement, modern machinery, shared design centres, and common branding. Women’s self-help groups have become mini-factories, making school shoes, sandals, and export slippers.

Lesson for Nigeria: Small female-led shoemaking collectives in Nigeria can pool resources to buy modern stitching or finishing machines they couldn’t afford alone. This also strengthens bargaining power with suppliers and buyers.

Vietnam: Upgrading Skills through Industry-Academia Links

What they did: Vietnam’s rise in global footwear exports was driven by deep investment in vocational training. Women made up the majority of workers in the sector’s rapid scale-up. Local colleges worked with factories to provide certification, apprenticeships, and management training.

Lesson for Nigeria: Nigeria’s polytechnics and design schools can partner with clusters to develop modern shoemaking curricula, covering not just craft but branding, e-commerce, and export compliance.

Key Enablers to Build Nigeria’s Women-Led Shoemaking Clusters

1. Cluster Development Zones

Designate Leather & Footwear Industrial Parks in cities like Aba, Kano, and Lagos. Provide basic infrastructure: stable power, shared tannery services, and affordable workshops. Ethiopia’s Bole Lemi Industrial Park and India’s Agra Footwear Cluster offer clear models.

2. Cooperative Financing & Micro-Capital

Access to finance remains a major barrier. Cluster cooperatives can negotiate collective loans with lower interest rates. Micro-leasing schemes can help women acquire modern stitching machines, cutting tools, or finishing equipment.

3. Market Linkages and Export Promotion

Government and industry associations must aggressively promote Nigerian shoes at international leather fairs in Italy, China, and Dubai. Trade missions should highlight women-led brands as a unique selling point. Digital platforms can help clusters reach diaspora markets craving authentic African craft.

4. Skills and Design Innovation Hubs

Develop cluster-based training centres in partnership with polytechnics and local master shoemakers. Equip young women with modern design tools, pattern-making skills, and business know-how. Morocco’s craft schools show how heritage techniques and modern branding can coexist.

5. Certification and a Nigerian Leather Mark

Introduce a “Made in Nigeria Leather” mark that guarantees ethical sourcing, fair wages, and quality standards. This can command premium pricing abroad, build trust with buyers, and differentiate Nigerian shoes in crowded global markets.

Path Forward

Nigeria’s leather story does not need to be written from scratch; the raw materials, cultural heritage, and entrepreneurial talent are already here. What is missing is an ecosystem that intentionally supports women-led shoemaking clusters with patient capital, shared infrastructure, export promotion, and strong local branding.

A single thriving cluster, whether in Aba, Kano, or Lagos, can create thousands of jobs, reduce Nigeria’s import bill for footwear, and earn foreign exchange through high-value exports. Multiply that by ten, and Nigeria could become Africa’s next leather powerhouse, with women at its centre.

The time to act is now: The global footwear market is worth over $400 billion annually. With focused investment, Nigeria’s share can be more than a footnote; it can be a source of pride, jobs, and prosperity for millions.

Let’s build it.