Cecil Duddley Mends is a hopeful proponent of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), believing that its implementation would prove to be advantageous for businesses and entrepreneurs across Africa.
As the CEO of CDM Fashion Couture, a company that designs high-end clothing and academic gowns, Cecil is knowledgeable about the capacity for the AfCFTA to increase investment in the circulation and logistics supply chain of transnational transactions.
In 2020, the fashion house expanded operations to include the production of face masks to help Ghana combat Covid-19.
The designer furthermore champions the Single African Market Programme, striving to establish a unified African market.
In a November 2021 interview, Cecil said on the larger scale “if AfCTA is coming on board with this free trade, it is going to make our work much easier so that we import, we sew and in turn export to most of the West African countries.”
Prominent figures, including President Akufo-Addo, Gambian President Adama Barrow, Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, Liberian President George Oppong Weah, former President John Kufuor, and former President Jerry John Rawlings, have worn the creations of Cecil’s company.
The fashion mogul further acts as Rector at the CDM School of Design, a fashion school in Accra that nurtures young Ghanaians in the areas of garment-making, technology, and knowledge relevant to the fashion industry.
As a testament to his diligence and commitment, Cecil, who was born on February 15, 1975 in Winneba, Ghana, has achieved incredible successes since his days at Winneba Secondary School.
He went on to complete his education at Yilo Krobo Secondary Commercial School and the University of London before obtaining positions at Zoomlion, Japan Motors, and The Multimedia Group.
He now mans the multiple wings of CDM institution where he employs and empowers Ghanaian youth.
