From Left: Kachi Eloka, Innocent Udeogu, Yoanna “Pepper” Chikezie and Ifeyinwa Ojekwe
We kicked off the experience with a masterclass on creating content and engaging our community. This class was hosted by the lovely Damilola Odufuwa, Editor-in-Chief, Konbini Nigeria. She was kind enough to share with attendees tips and tricks on how Konbini’s been able to build and engage their target audience. She also reminded us of the importance of being consistent when creating content. Trust the process.
Okay, we’re on to Day 2 where we had a panel of experts discuss the future of fashion retail in Africa. Our amazing panel included the likes of Oroma Itegboje, Retail Manager of Alara, Shola Akinlade, CEO of Paystack , Sophie Ike-Onu, of the 5K Store, Timi Tikolo, Brand Manager of TM Lewin, and Fashion Consultant, Funmi St Matthew Daniels, who moderated the proceedings. The discussed the opportunities that still lay ahead online in the fashion space, and how important it is to build a retail culture guided by metrics.
By day 3, the Growth Lounge was picking up major momentum. The sessions were informative and the attendees were always engaged. Next, we had Bayo Adelaja the Head Coach at Do it Now Now. She hosted our second masterclass teaching us the best practices on crafting and selling our brand stories. Bayo brought up some key points, such as documenting the process behind projects and making sure there’s cohesion when developing your brand.
The second panel discussion was on day 4. “Redressing Africa”, focused on sustainable fashion business models here in Nigeria. Ifeyinwa Ojekwe, Founder, Konsign Afrika, Innocent Udeogu, CEO, OnceNOut, as well as a Co-Founder of Thrift Projects, Kachi Eloka gave attendees insights into how they’re projects are educating their customers on sustainable practices in fashion, that could also be profitable. Our Founder Pepper moderated this time around. 
Our final day rolled around. This time we delved into a rarely discussed issue within the creative community, mental health. The CEO of Availsys, Moses Ida-Michaels was the perfect moderator for this panel that featured Oyinda Fakeye, Founder, Sound Mind Africa, Victor Ugo, Founder, Mentally Aware and seasoned Vlogger and Creative Consultant, Sharon Ojong. Topics such as self-validation and managing criticism were brought up. Sharon identified the need to grow a thick skin, as a creative, while Oyinda reminded us to always keep self-criticism constructive.
Here’s a big thank you to all our guest speakers and featured merchants and attendees that made this year’s AfricaNXT experience a resounding success. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Social Media Week Lagos for partnering with us to curate a platform for the creative community and Trimmings for helping us beautify our space with their lovely plants.
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Image Credit: CK Knight
