Abidjan’s economic hub is hosting the third edition of the African Forum of Textile Care Professionals (FAPET) from May 20 to 22, 2026. The event, held in the Plateau district, brings together industry leaders from across Africa to tackle the region’s textile care sector’s modernization and industrialization challenges.
Under the theme ‘Structuring, ecological transition, and innovation: steering Africa’s textile care sector toward sustainable industrialization,’ the forum was inaugurated by a representative of the president of the Economic, Social, Environmental, and Cultural Council (CESEC), Soro Mamadou.
Speaking on behalf of the CESEC president, Dr. Eugène Aka Aouélé emphasized the growing significance of the textile care industry in Africa’s economic development. Once overlooked as a secondary sector, it now stands as a key driver for job creation, environmental protection, and service enhancement in critical fields like healthcare and tourism.
‘Africa must build its own value chains, modernize its infrastructure, and professionalize its workforce to meet international standards,’ Soro Mamadou declared to delegates from across the continent.
The discussions also highlighted persistent hurdles facing the sector. Yoboué Célestin-Arthur, president of the Federation of African Textile Care Professionals (FAPET), pointed to lingering informality, limited technical training, restricted access to financing, and the urgent need for ecological transition.
He commended the sector’s mobilization, including contributions from Fayçal Belaroussi, vice-president of FAPET and president of Algeria’s National Association of Pressing and Laundry Businesses, and Adebayo, president of the Fabricare Professionals and Dryclean Association.
Organizers of the event aim to position this platform as a catalyst for Côte d’Ivoire’s economic growth by fostering experience-sharing, public-private partnerships, and the adoption of modern, eco-friendly practices.
The forum will prioritize discussions on managing hospital, industrial, and domestic laundry, alongside exploring pathways for the sector’s industrialization in Africa.
