The Lagos State government has reiterated its commitment to transforming local crafts into export-ready products through skills training and market access. This was announced on Friday at a graduation ceremony for Adire (tie-and-dye) trainees held at the Adire and Kampala International Market in Agbado, Lagos. The event, themed "Celebrating Creativity, Empowerment and Skill Excellence," was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment in collaboration with the Lagos State Tie and Dye Association (LASOTA) and the Mosan Okunola and Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). The commissioner for wealth creation and employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, was represented by chief commercial officer Bola Ajayi. Ajigbotafe listed packaging, branding, entrepreneurship, bookkeeping, and marketing as essential skills for scaling the craft. He said the government would support efforts to make Adire a globally competitive product and urged stakeholders to wear Adire at public events.
Mosan Okunola LCDA chairperson Aduuni Akindele said 129 people were currently undergoing skills training in her area, part of her campaign promise to create sustainable livelihoods. She stressed the goal of economic self-reliance and pledged continuous monitoring through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA chairman Abiodun Ejigbadero reaffirmed his support for community empowerment and urged trainees to work hard. LASOTA president AbdulRasheed Temitope disclosed that 450 people had been trained in three months: 250 in tie-and-dye, 50 in make-up, and 170 in other skills. He credited the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund for providing low-interest loans. Graduand Omotayo Amao expressed gratitude for the free training, while Olelakan Dada, a visually impaired participant, said learning batik and adire would transform her life.
The commissioner speaks of export-ready crafts while the trainees are being monitored to ensure they don't "just wait on us," exposing a tension between global ambition and local survival. The state celebrates 129 trainees across one LCDA yet over 450 were trained by LASOTA alone in three months—raising questions about coordination. If visually impaired participants like Olelakan Dada can master batik, the real test is whether the system enables such talent to scale beyond handouts. Export dreams mean little if the fund's loans and follow-ups remain the ceiling, not the launchpad.
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