LAGOS, Nigeria - Social Media Week Lagos kicks off with a full roster of talks, pop-up shops, fireside chats, master classes and even a 3D printing workshop. The fifth iteration of #SMWLagos is brimming with content and bringing together the brightest minds in government, education, media, design, beauty, and fashion. In fact, the organizers have enlisted The Assembly, a Lagos-based hub for fashion creatives and entrepreneurs, to host a FASH x TECH Meet Up entitled "Sourcing Fashion in Africa: The Opportunities, Challenges, and Leveraging Technology for Development."

A panel of industry experts, including Oroma Itegboje, co-founder of This Is Us NG, Zainab Ashadu, creative director of Zashadu, and Yegwa Ukpo, co-founder of Stranger Lagos among others, will share critical insights on sourcing raw materials and the role of technology to enable efficient and sustainable manufacturing on the continent.

Gatherings of this format have been increasing over the past few years, led by Lagos Fashion & Design Week, ArtXLagos, and GTBank Fashion Weekend to name a few. Taking a step beyond PR and brand storytelling, social media can play a large part in increasing transparency in supply chains and sustainability practices of growing domestic brands. These digital tools can be magnifying glasses for the consumer and have underpinned the trending #BuyAfrica movements taking place on social platforms. Technology will no doubt accelerate the development of the fashion industry on the ground. A forum like #SMWLagos is a fruitful step in the right direction.