USR PUBLISHER

Leather manufacturing remains one of Nigeria’s most promising labour-intensive industries, yet its informal segment continues to dominate employment generation in northern urban centres like Zaria Metropolis, Kaduna State. Anchored at the Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Zaria’s informal leather value chain spanning traditional tanning, footwear design, bag production, and artisan accessories serves as a critical buffer against youth unemployment while leveraging abundant livestock resources. This case study interrogates how informal leather production absorbs young people (18–35 years), fosters self-employment, and supports sustainable livelihoods amid structural constraints. Drawing on empirical evidence from NILEST program evaluations, National Bureau of Statistics labour surveys, and recent sector reports, the analysis reveals that NILEST-led footwear and leather goods training has equipped thousands of youths with marketable skills, resulting in improved self-employment rates and household income. However, persistent challenges low technology adoption, inconsistent raw material quality, environmental degradation from traditional tanning, gender disparities, limited finance access, and weak market linkages constrain scalability and productivity. Digital skills integration and entrepreneurship modules have enabled hybrid informal-formal models, yet outcomes remain modest without stronger policy support. The chapter diagnoses these realities while prognosticating that technology transfer, microfinance, sustainable tanning innovations, and value-chain integration can transform the informal leather sector into a driver of inclusive growth. Lessons for African development underscore the value of institution-led vocational training, community-based innovation, and gradual formalization in similar livestock-rich contexts. Recommendations emphasizes scaling NILEST programs, public-private partnerships, gender-transformative approaches, and environmentally sustainable practices to unlock the sector’s $1 billion potential by 2025 and beyond.