The founder and Executive Director of Sekbi Limited, the company behind the brand Sekbi Bogolan 'Made in Africa' Sustainable Textile Company, Sekou Coulibaly, recently participated as an expert panellist at the 9th edition of the McGill Desautels African Business Initiative (McGill DABI).

This is an annual business and development conference held in Montreal, Canada by McGill University.

The theme of the 2023 conference held on March 11, was, "Envisioning the Future while Embracing the Past", visualising a future for the African continent by embracing its past, inspired by its fluid economic borders, global influence, and innovative aptitudes.

Coulibaly shared his experience and insights alongside filmmaker Lonzo Nzekwe and entrepreneur, investor and co-founder of Web3 Studios, Chinedu Enekwe on the panel entitled, "Music, Entertainment and Fashion Industries."

They explored Africa's opportunity to benefit and advance business and economic development through its explosive creative industries.

"As a graduate of McGill, I was thrilled to return to my alma mater where the textile dream started to engage with global contemporaries on the potential of Africa using creative industries as soft power to build a sustainable competitive advantage.

"With Sekbi Limited, my partners and I have seen firsthand how developing a trademarked signature print inspired by African heritage and focusing on high quality and sustainability standards can cater to a global audience.

"By investing in our local communities, empowering women and men through training and sourcing our materials responsibly, we are not only creating authentically beautiful and sustainably impactful garments but we also helping fight poverty and strengthen our economies through export proceeds," shared Sekou Coulibaly who co-founded Sekbi Limited after occupying several executive positions over a span of over 15 years with L'OREAL Group in Paris, New York, Lagos and Accra.

Sekbi Bogolan was launched to inspire the world focusing on sustainable textile garment production practices while promoting African heritage inspired by the Bogolanfini craftsmanship, a traditional West African textile craft that was developed over 400 years ago in the Bambara empire era.

This includes sourcing materials from Oekotex and Global Organic Textile Standard certified suppliers, reducing waste through recycling and upcycling in the longer term, and using environmentally friendly smart garment manufacturing methods certified by the World Responsible Accredited Production Label.

The McGill DABI conference provided an opportunity for attendees to learn from thought leaders, network with industry professionals, engage in stimulating discussions about the future of business in Africa, and encourage partnerships to drive their growth while ensuring sustainable practices.

As a panellist, Coulibaly was able to showcase his global experience and expertise and provide valuable insights into how businesses can embrace the past while also looking to the future to create positive change in Africa as he is doing with the Sekbi Limited brand.

"With Sekbi Limited, we are featuring a new inspiring African narrative and strongly believe that sustainability and ethical practices are not just buzzwords, but essential elements of a successful business strategy.

"The McGill DABI conference provided me with a platform to share the reality of sustainable and conscious brands being established on the continent for the global "WorldPolitan" consumer.

This is coming at a strategic moment as we are in the process of raising funds to further expand the Sekbi Bogolan brand and build the Sekbi Limited's first eco-friendly certified smart manufacturing factory in West Africa," added Coulibaly who also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of France in Ghana.

The Sekbi Legacy Collection showcases an array of looks for the savvy modern man and woman in a diversity of styles that can easily mix and match but also blend into the customer's wardrobe.