The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Next2None Support Initiative have entered into a strategic partnership to launch Africa’s first international fashion-for-social-impact campaign aimed at combating human trafficking and empowering vulnerable youths.
The initiative, tagged “Threads of Resilience: Fashion for Freedom,” brings together the global fashion industry, international cinema and elite sports in a coordinated campaign designed to prevent human trafficking, create economic opportunities for young people and restore the dignity of survivors.
The partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 27, 2026, by NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Lami Adamu Bello; Director of Legal and Prosecution, Mrs Ijeoma Amugo; Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr. Sam Obu, Esq., popularly known as Chucky; and Mr. Frank Nwala.
The organisations announced the collaboration in a statement signed by Obu and Nwala on Sunday.
According to the statement, the initiative has an eight-year operational plan spanning 2026 to 2034 and will initially reach about 6,000 young people annually across Nigeria, with the programme eventually training approximately 1,000 participants in each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
It added that activities would run throughout the year and culminate in an annual Global Fashion for Freedom flagship event in Abuja, with the international launch scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.
Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Obu said the methods employed by human traffickers had evolved significantly, with criminals increasingly exploiting social media, deceptive job advertisements, fraudulent migration schemes and online relationships to prey on vulnerable people.
“Human trafficking is no longer just a law enforcement challenge; it is a crisis of poverty, unemployment, and lack of opportunity,” he said.
According to him, Threads of Resilience would go beyond rescuing victims by creating sustainable pathways to economic independence through creativity, education, skills acquisition and sports.
“Threads of Resilience addresses this by moving beyond mere rescue. We are creating a sustainable, Nigerian-led international movement that uses creativity, sports, and education to establish pathways to absolute freedom and economic dignity,” he said.
The statement identified prevention, empowerment and rebuilding as the three major pillars of the initiative.
Under the prevention component, the programme will use fashion campaigns, school programmes, digital advocacy and community outreach to educate young people about trafficking risks, online safety and methods used by traffickers.
The empowerment pillar will provide participants with physical and digital skills in areas including fashion design, textile production, leather-making and garment care, complemented by training in e-commerce, financial literacy, branding and entrepreneurship to improve their access to sustainable livelihoods.
The rebuilding component will focus on restoring the dignity of trafficking survivors, internally displaced persons and returnees through confidential reintegration programmes, vocational rehabilitation, mentorship, mental health and psychosocial support.
The initiative also plans to establish partnerships with international fashion brands and personalities, positioning fashion as a platform for promoting human rights and telling stories of survival, healing and freedom.
According to the statement, emerging designers and survivors will have opportunities to showcase collections carrying anti-trafficking and freedom messages, while discussions are expected to be pursued with leading global fashion houses, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss.
In the film industry, the campaign will collaborate with Nollywood and international filmmakers to produce anti-trafficking movies, documentaries and awareness skits, while also providing young Nigerians with practical training in film production.
The sports component will leverage grassroots talent development programmes to reach vulnerable youths, with proposed strategic collaborations involving FIFA for football initiatives, the International Handball Federation for handball tournaments and the National Basketball Association for athlete ambassadors and sports clinics.
The statement said NAPTIP would provide governmental leadership and technical expertise, including facilitating collaboration with relevant government institutions and United Nations agencies, while Next2None would leverage its implementation experience to drive programme delivery.
A comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning framework has also been established to measure the programme’s impact, including employment outcomes, survivor rehabilitation and the resources mobilised for the initiative.
As implementation begins with diplomatic engagement and stakeholder mobilisation, Next2None called on corporate organisations, international development agencies, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to support the initiative.
The organisation said the campaign was founded on the belief that creativity could be used to educate, skills to empower and strategic partnerships to rebuild lives affected by human trafficking.
