The inaugural Entertainment Week Africa has positioned Lagos as a rising global hub for the creative economy, drawing 28,683 participants from more than eight countries and over 50 industries to a six day, multi venue festival themed “Close the Gap”.
Founded by Deola Art Alade, the event brought together creators, executives, investors, policymakers and industry leaders across venues such as Livespot Entertarium, Eko Hotel, EbonyLife Place, Alliance Française and Heritage Place, with star appearances from Tiwa Savage, Teni, Don Jazzy, Yemi Alade, Waje and Sasha P.
Organisers said the week served as both challenge and blueprint for pan African creative mobility by uniting talent, capital, policy and platforms, while dignitaries including Trade and Investment Minister Jumoke Oduwole and British Deputy High Commissioner Jonny Baxter highlighted its diplomatic and economic significance for Nigeria and the UK.
Across six days, EWA delivered more than 35 panels, 22 workshops, 20 masterclasses and 93 film screenings on distribution, creative entrepreneurship, emerging tech, youth culture and cross border mobility, alongside hubs like the Creators Hub, Creative Job Fair, Gen Z Republic and the Creative Marketplace.
A landmark gender equity conversation featuring Yemi Alade, Waje, Qing Madi, Teni, Sasha P and Tiwa Savage spotlighted the marginal share of women on major Nigerian charts, with Don Jazzy noting that an overwhelmingly “masculine” ecosystem skews numbers, airplay and club rotations.
On the film side, screenings included Chronicles of Afrobeat, Daniel Etim Effiong’s The Herd, Dust to Dream produced by Mo Abudu and directed by Idris Elba, and Mama Nike & Magazine Dreams, supported by high demand director sessions and a four day Story Lab for writers backed by Netflix, Amazon Prime, NdaniTV and Africa Magic.
The Deal Room and Hackathon embodied the “Close the Gap” ethos, with 178+ startup entries, nine firms selected for an accelerator, four judged ready to scale, and additional winners from teams like Musetter, Owambe and Alaba, while one participant, Atsur, has already gone on to win prize money at the NBA Africa Triple Double Accelerator in Rwanda.
Fashion also featured strongly, with more than 120 entries narrowed to 10 emerging designers who showcased on the EWA Runway Coterie, and comedy took a turn on the spotlight through the Jokes & Jollof segment where Big Spoon 2025 winner Lucky Chidiebere Obi received a ₦1m prize and a tour announcement with Basketmouth.
Backed by sponsors and partners including Livespot, Heineken, Lagos State Tourism, Pepsi, MTN, TikTok, Multichoice, Netflix, Amazon Prime and several media and investment brands, the festival will return from November 17–22, 2026, with expanded pan African programming and a continued focus on closing the gap between creative potential and real world opportunity.
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