Afrique Femme will bring Francophone fashion, African creative businesses and women’s leadership into focus at CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria, from November 5 to 8, 2026.
The partnership will see Afrique Femme host the sixth edition of its African Woman 2.0 platform alongside the four-day creative industries gathering at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture & Creative Arts, also known as the National Theatre.
Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, CANEX WKND brings together participants from across Africa and the diaspora to explore opportunities in the continent’s creative and cultural industries. This year’s theme, “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World: From FESTAC ’77 to CANEX ’27,” places African cultural identity, creative enterprise and international partnerships at the centre of the programme.
Afrique Femme’s involvement will include an exhibition pavilion dedicated to connecting Francophone and Anglophone creative communities. The space will feature curated showcases, pop-up presentations and private sales involving designers from West and Central Africa.
Among the brands expected to participate are Makeda by AYA Konan, KUMI, KWELAKU and Galipette Atelier. Their collections will offer visitors an opportunity to explore fashion from Francophone Africa, with an emphasis on design, craftsmanship and the commercial potential of African-made products.
The pavilion is also intended to create opportunities for designers to reach new audiences and establish connections beyond their existing markets. By bringing businesses from different language communities together, the initiative seeks to encourage greater visibility and cross-border commercial relationships within the African fashion industry.
Another major part of the partnership will be the African Woman 2.0 VIP Networking Brunch, scheduled for Saturday, November 7. The event is expected to welcome between 200 and 250 women leaders, policymakers, innovators and international dignitaries.
The programme will include keynote addresses, strategic panel discussions and organised business-to-business networking. Its focus will be on female leadership and economic empowerment, with discussions and connections intended to support women’s participation in Africa’s business and creative sectors.
Aïssata Sidibé N’DIA, Managing Director of RED Côte d’Ivoire and Afrique Femme, said the partnership would provide an opportunity to present Francophone fashion to a wider international audience while strengthening commercial relationships across the continent.
“We are thrilled to bring the African Woman 2.0 platform to Lagos alongside CANEX WKND 2026,” she said. N’DIA also pointed to the potential for the collaboration to connect creative entrepreneurs and encourage trade and investment partnerships between African markets.
CANEX WKND 2026 will run from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture & Creative Arts in Lagos. Delegate attendance is free, although advance registration is compulsory. Visitors can register through the official CANEX WKND website at https://wknd.canex.africa/, select “Visitor / Delegate” and identify “Afrique Femme” as their referral source.
Afrique Femme is a Pan-African digital media platform operated by Weblogy Group. Its work focuses on informing and empowering African women through editorial content, television programmes and events, including the Week-end des African Woman 2.0.
CANEX, or Creative Africa Nexus, is an initiative established by Afreximbank to support the growth of Africa’s creative and cultural industries. Its activities cover sectors including fashion, film, music, literature, gastronomy and visual arts, with an emphasis on trade, investment, business partnerships and cultural exchange.
The collaboration with Afrique Femme adds a dedicated focus on Francophone fashion and women’s economic participation to this year’s programme, bringing together two areas of the African creative economy within the wider CANEX WKND gathering.
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