The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Next2None Support Initiative, a non-governmental organization, have started efforts to get the major global luxury fashion houses, including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss, to join a pioneering international campaign against human trafficking.
The initiative, “Threads of Resilience: Fashion for Freedom,” brings together global fashion, international film and elite sports for a major social-impact movement to prevent human trafficking, empower at-risk youth and restore dignity to survivors.
“This is Africa’s first international fashion-for-social-impact mega campaign against human trafficking,” said the Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr Ndukwe Sam Obu, in a statement. This development was made possible following the formal signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NAPTIP and Next2None Support Initiative on August 27, 2026.
The MoU was signed by the Director-General, NAPTIP, Binta Lami Adamu Bello and the Director, Legal and Prosecution Department, Mrs Ijeoma Amugo, for NAPTIP, while the Director-General of Next2None Support Initiative, Mr Sam Obu, popularly known as Chucky and Mr Frank Nwala signed for the NGO.
Obu said the initiative will run for eight years from 2026 to 2034, with an initial target of reaching 6,000 youths per year across Nigeria. Activities throughout the year would culminate in an annual flagship Global Fashion for Freedom event in Abuja, training about 1,000 participants in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, he said.
The initiative will be rolled out globally in the second quarter of 2027.
Obu said the changing face of human trafficking made it imperative for stakeholders to adopt innovative approaches to prevention and rehabilitation.
Traffickers are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, including social media, fake job offers, bogus migration schemes and online relationships to lure and ensnare vulnerable persons, he said.
“Human trafficking is no longer just a law enforcement problem, it is a crisis of poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunity.
“‘Threads of Resilience’ addresses this by not only rescuing. “We are creating a sustainable, Nigerian-led international movement that uses creativity, sports and education as a way to create pathways to freedom and economic dignity,” he said.
The comprehensive program will be anchored on three transformative pillars, the statement said, the first being Prevention — Stopping the Cycle.
Under the pillar, the organizers will leverage cultural platforms and touchpoints that young people consume on a daily basis, including fashion campaigns, school programs, digital advocacy and community outreach to raise awareness of trafficking risks and promote online safety.
The program will also offer physical and digital training in vocational fields such as fashion design, textile production, leather-making and garment care while integrating modern digital and entrepreneurship skills including e-commerce, financial literacy and branding.
The organizers say the aim was to provide young people with sustainable livelihood opportunities and reduce their susceptibility to trafficking and exploitation.
A further part of the program will address the rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors of trafficking, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees.
The initiative will develop confidential and respectful reintegration systems involving vocational rehabilitation, mentorship and mental health and psychosocial support, the statement said.
Threads of Resilience campaign is looking for partnerships with global fashion icons, institutions and industry leaders to strengthen its international dimension.
Fashion would be a vehicle for human rights advocacy, organizers said, with emerging designers and trafficking survivors expected to showcase collections with messages of healing, resilience and freedom.
As part of the initiative Next2None and NAPTIP are seeking active engagements and collaborations with leading global luxury fashion brands including Gucci, Balenciaga, Versace and Hugo Boss.
The campaign will also utilize the Nigerian film industry and international cinema to increase public awareness.
The project, in collaboration with Nollywood and international filmmakers, will produce anti-trafficking movies, documentaries and awareness skits, as well as provide practical film-production training for young people.
Organizers also want grassroots sports to reach and empower young people.
The campaign will build on existing talent-hunt frameworks while pursuing strategic alliances with global sporting organizations including FIFA for football initiatives, the International Handball Federation (IHF) for handball tournaments and the National Basketball Association (NBA) for elite athlete ambassadors and sports clinics targeted at vulnerable youths, the statement said.
Per the MoU, NAPTIP is to provide governmental leadership and technical expertise including facilitating collaboration with relevant Nigerian government institutions and United Nations agencies.
Based on the implementation experience of the Next2None Support Initiative, the project also has a monitoring, evaluation and learning framework to track key outcomes such as employment rates, survivor rehabilitation and funds mobilized.
With the implementation roadmap entering the next phase, the organization said it was ramping up diplomatic outreach and stakeholder mobilization to garner international and local support for the campaign.
The Media Office of the Next2None Support Initiative therefore appealed to corporate organizations, international development agencies, grant-making institutions, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to support the initiative.
“We are open to corporate organizations, international development grants, foundations, philanthropists, brand ambassadors, volunteers and foreign missions to partner with us in this.
“Together we can use creativity to educate, skills to empower and partnerships to rebuild lives,” the statement read.
