Activities marking the 2022 edition of Uyo Fashion Week has kicked off with an opening ceremony, master classes and business pitch competition for entrepreneurs in the creative sector.

The event which kicked off on Monday, 25th April will end Saturday, 30th April 2022.

Declaring the week open, the Honourable Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Orman Esin lauded the organizers of the Uyo Fashion Week for bringing the entire Nigerian fashion industry down to Akwa Ibom State.

Esin said the week long fashion expo is not only an addition to the tourism profile of the state, but also an investment into the state’s creative sector.

Earlier in her remarks, the convener, Uyo Fashion Week 2022, Lady Mae Edmond described the fashion industry as a gold mine that has the capacity to gainfully employ a good percentage of the populace while contributing meaningfully to the Nation’s economic growth.

Mae Edmond decried the neglect of the creative sector by some governments, and urged them to pay more attention to the sector.

The convener revealed that the activities lined up for the Uyo Fashion Week 2022 were carefully selected to ensure capacity building, so as to foster creativity and commercialization which will ultimately help the creatives to scale.

The opening ceremony of the UFW 2022 also featured a keynote speech by Pastor Imo-Abasi Jacob, CEO of Ibom Air, master class sessions with George Uriesi and William Anwana as well as a business pitch competition.

According to an order of events released by the organizers and made available to newsmen, masterclasses, panel discussions and business pitch competitions will continue on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while the fashion runway shows will hold on Friday and Saturday.

The release also indicated that all events will hold at the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment center, Udoudoma Avenue, Uyo.