The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, and the Next2None Support Initiative have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to launch Africa’s first international fashion-for-social-impact campaign aimed at combating global human trafficking.
The MoU was signed on August 27, 2026 by the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Lami Adamu Bello; Director of Legal and Prosecution, Mrs. Ijeoma Amugo; and the Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr. Sam Obu Esq., popularly known as Chucky, alongside Mr. Frank Nwala.
The initiative, tagged “Threads of Resilience: Fashion for Freedom,” merges global fashion, cinema and elite sports into a single movement designed to prevent exploitation, empower youth, and restore survivor dignity.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Next2None, the eight-year program will run from 2026 to 2034.
It targets an initial annual reach of 6,000 young people across Nigeria, scaling up to train about 1,000 participants in each of the six geopolitical zones.
The campaign will run year-round and culminate in an annual flagship Global Fashion for Freedom event in Abuja, with the global launch scheduled for Q2 2027.
Mr. Obu said the architecture of trafficking has evolved, with predators now exploiting digital platforms, fake job adverts, fraudulent migration schemes and online relationships.
“Human trafficking is no longer just a law enforcement challenge; it is a crisis of poverty, unemployment, and lack of opportunity.
‘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 program is built on three pillars:
Prevention;
It will use fashion campaigns, school programs, digital advocacy and community outreach to expose trafficking risks.
Empowerment;
The initiative will provide vocational training in fashion design, textile production, leather making and garment care, blended with digital and enterprise skills like e-commerce and financial literacy; and Rebuilding, offering reintegration, vocational rehabilitation, mentorship and psychosocial support for survivors, IDPs and returnees.
To drive global impact, the initiative will engage major fashion houses including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss. It will also partner with Nollywood and international filmmakers to produce anti-trafficking movies, documentaries and skits, and provide film production training for youths.
In sports, partnerships are being pursued with FIFA for football initiatives, the International Handball Federation for handball tournaments, and the NBA to deploy athlete ambassadors and sports clinics to reach vulnerable youth.
Backed by NAPTIP’s technical leadership and supported by Nigerian government institutions and UN agencies, the project will operate a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning framework to track employment rates, survivor rehabilitation and funds mobilized.
Next2None called on corporate organizations, development partners, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to support the campaign.
“Together, we can use creativity to educate, skills to empower, and partnerships to rebuild lives,” the statement said.
