From Italian apprenticeship to West Africa's largest safety-shoe maker

Yinka Atunde, a Nigerian entrepreneur, credits factory experience in Italy with launching his entry into shoemaking after a delayed national service programme forced a career rethink. According to Business Insider Africa, Atunde, a Babcock University computer science graduate, began with training in Italy before returning to Nigeria to produce his first pairs of shoes. The venture has since grown into West Africa's largest safety footwear company, securing $1.5 million in funding.

The trajectory reflects a familiar pattern in Marche's manufacturing districts: foreign talent drawn to the region's craft expertise, then dispersed across global markets. Italian shoe-and-leather districts have long served as training grounds for foreign entrepreneurs seeking to understand the design, tooling and production systems that underpin the sector. Atunde's path—from classroom to Italian factory floor to Nigerian founder—illustrates how that knowledge transfers across continents and sectors.