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CANEX WKND 2026 puts African creative economy in focus
Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 opened in Lagos with African leaders calling for stronger financing, intellectual property protection, distribution and market access to help the continent retain more economic value from its creative industries.
Opening the four-day event on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s Vice President, H.E. Senator Kashim Shettima, said Africa must turn its global cultural recognition into commercially competitive businesses. “In 1977, we came to celebrate our culture. In 2026, we come to capitalise on it. We come to turn the world’s applause into contracts, its admiration into markets, and the talent of our young people into enduring wealth,” he said.
African creative industries seek stronger market access
Kashim Shettima also called for improved access to African markets for creative businesses. “We cannot continue to celebrate African creativity while making it difficult for African creators to access African markets,” he said.
Afreximbank has committed US$2 billion through 2027 to support the continent’s creative and cultural industries, building on earlier financing commitments as demand for investment has grown. At CANEX WKND 2024 in Algiers, participants from 81 countries took part in discussions that facilitated more than US$540 million in trade and investment deals. In Nigeria, more than US$600 million in financing is being unlocked for digital and creative enterprises through the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises programme, known as iDICE.
Nigeria advances creative-sector investment
Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said proposed transactions worth more than US$500 million were already under discussion between Nigerian entrepreneurs, buyers and investors in deal rooms co-curated with Afreximbank.
“We promised to bring buyers and investors here. Today, Nigerian creatives are negotiating with them in Lagos. Our ambition is a deal for every part of the creative economy, from sports and gaming to creative technology and infrastructure, the arts and gastronomy,” Dr Jumoke Oduwole said.
Nigeria has also introduced measures to strengthen the commercial environment for creative businesses. These include its first National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy, approved in 2025, and the Creative Sector Investment Playbook, launched in January 2026 to guide investment in areas such as studios, content production and distribution. Nigeria, alongside Kenya and South Africa, is also a co-champion of the African Continental Free Trade Area Protocol on Digital Trade.
Afreximbank highlights ownership and value capture
Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr George Elombi, said increasing production finance would not be enough unless Africa also strengthened ownership and value capture across the creative-industry supply chain.
Citing estimates from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Dr George Elombi put the continent’s creative economy at approximately US$60 billion, representing around 2 per cent of the global creative industry. “We can put these financing schemes into music and movie productions. Yet the value we derive will still be low. We must therefore focus on building the creative ecosystem,” he said.
Dr George Elombi identified distribution, branding, marketing platforms and intellectual property ownership as areas where Africa needs to retain a greater share of the value generated by its creative industries.
CANEX WKND brings together creative-industry stakeholders
CANEX WKND 2026 brings together more than 15,000 delegates, including government representatives, investors, financial institutions, creators and businesses from Africa, the Caribbean and the wider diaspora.
The four-day programme includes the CANEX Deal Room, Creative Economy Finance Summit, African Producer Accelerator, CANEX Music Factory, CANEX Book Factory and CANEX CreaThon. Sector programmes cover film and television, music, fashion, sport, literature and publishing, gastronomy, visual arts and technology.
