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.