Africa Creative Market 2024 Elevates African Creativity and Talent on the Global Stage

The 2024 edition of the Africa Creative Market (ACM), held in partnership with Ascend Studios Foundation, U.S. Consulate General, American Business Council, Venture Garden Group, and Paramount Africa, brought together some of the continent’s brightest creative talents and industry leaders from September 17 to 20 at the Landmark Event Center in Lagos.

With the support of esteemed brands such as Toyota by CFAO, Leadwood Furniture, YD Company, Les Terange, Tafe Organics, Uber, The Luxury Network Nigeria, Seinde Signature, C&C Luxury, The Balvenie, Regal Deluxe, Chivas Regal, Wift Senegal, 7edge Consulting, and with program partners including WIFT Africa, Forum for Women in Film & TV, Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, MTV Base, FashionEVO, Business of Entertainment Conference, Business of Photography Conference, Sport Entertainment & Creative Technology Summit, Global Creative Legal Summit, Kingdom Film Festival, Dance Boss with Kaffy, and Beyond The Shutter, ACM 2024 offered a dynamic platform for exploring the intersection of creativity, culture, technology, and entrepreneurship across Africa’s diverse creative industries.

Over four days, ACM 2024 sparked conversations and collaboration across art, film, music, fashion, gaming, and technology, providing attendees with unique insights and opportunities to engage with industry visionaries. Multiple sessions were hosted across the venue’s various halls, featuring a diverse range of workshops, panel discussions, and exhibitions. Key events included the Business of Entertainment Conference, Women in Film & TV Africa Conference, Sports Entertainment & Creative Technology Summit, and FashionEVO, among others.

Dr. Inya Lawal, Convener of the Africa Creative Market, remarked, “ACM 2024 has reaffirmed our mission to empower African creatives and foster sustainable growth in the continent’s creative economy. As we conclude this year’s event, we are reminded of Africa’s immense creative potential and the importance of nurturing talent, promoting cultural exchange, and driving innovation.”

Key highlights of the event included:

• Fashion Day, featuring a conference, runway show, and awards ceremony curated by FashionEVO, which celebrated African designers and fashion innovators. Renowned designers like Joseph Ejiro, Gbenga Artsmith, and Kola Kuddus showcased their collections, blending traditional African aesthetics with contemporary design.
• The Nigeria/South Africa Co-Production Cocktail, which brought together industry leaders from both countries to discuss collaborative opportunities in film and entertainment. Hosted by Wildpepper Studios and Black Roots, this exclusive event brought together esteemed guests, including Dr Bobby Moroe, Consul-General of South Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, Obi Asika, Director General, National Council for Arts, Mildred Okwo, Arese Ugwu, Yolanda Okereke, Abuchi Peter Ugwu, Mmeli Khumalo, Lusanda Chauke.
• The launch of the inaugural Global Creative Legal Summit (GCLS), a forum that brought together legal experts and creatives to explore the role of law in shaping the creative economy. Brought togther by Oyinkansola Fawehinmi popularly known as Foza, this conference was a convergence of legal experts in the creative economy and creatives exploring innovative solutions through the law. Industry leaders and thought experts like Prof Bankole Sodipo SAN, Dr Ayoyemi Arowolo, Mrs Sandra Oyewole, Olamilekan Bamidele, Amanda Uzoagba, and Annie Oti led interactive and insightful sessions.
• The Creative Investment Forum, organized by the American Business Council, provided insights into investment opportunities in Africa’s creative industries, addressing the legal and regulatory challenges faced by stakeholders. This forum featured notable speakers like Fegho Umunubo, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, Iredumare Opeyemi, Yemi Keri who shared their expertise.
• The Forum for Women in Film and TV which was championed by renowned Nollywood actress, Ms Joke Silva and featured empowering contributions from distinguished individuals such as Joke Silva, H.E Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Beatrice Eyong, Country Rep, UNWomen and Bimbo Oloyede.
• The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE 2.0) summit which gathered distinguished guests in attendance like U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens, with Oma Areh leading the facilitators alongside Bucci Franklin, Seyi Adegeye, Kola Oshalusi to explore strategies for mastering content creation and leveraging social media and e-commerce.
• The Business of Entertainment Conference which also brought together distinguished guests like Pretty Okafor, Barrister Sandra Oyewole, Queen Blessing Ebigieson, Unique Kings Obi, Emem Emma, Chinenye Adeleye, Ronya Man, Prof. Bobby Moroe, Mmeli Khumalo, Omozele Gabriel, Brain Jotter, Yemi Oyefeso to lead engaging panel sessions and conversations. 
• NOVUS, an intriguing exhibition of paintings and sculptures which was organized by The Luxury Network Nigeria, FashionEVO, YD Company, and Atlantic Exhibition, and expertly curated by The Art Exential.
• Dance Day, which was organized by renowned dancer and choreographer Kaffy Shafau, the founder of ImagnTo Dance, also led a series of captivating sessions and performances.
• Music Day which was hosted by MTV Base and brought together industry leaders like Obi Asika, Akintunde Johnson Bada (Co-Founder of ACM and MTV Base Program Director), Bugwu Aneto-Okeke, Yinka and Bola Obebe of Mefa, Osi Suave, Dapo Ayo Adebisi, Godwin Tom, Timi Dakolo, Praiz, Tobi Mohammed and Nancy Chuwudebe.

In a celebration of African music and dance, the event closed with a high-energy Music Day, headlined by performances from artists such as Oxlade and Nasboi, with dance competitions powered by Redbull and a standout performance by Kaffy.

Dr Bada Akintunde Johnson, Co-Founder of ACM, also remarked “ACM 2024 yet again underscored the importance of converging the critical stakeholders across the creative sector and enabling conversations around unique and shared pain points as well as aligning on solutions and pathways forward, implementation of action points and ensuring accountability becomes easier in the aftermath of such robust engagements.”

ACM 2024 successfully positioned Africa’s creative industries on the global map, fostering collaboration, innovation, and investment opportunities. As the curtain falls on this year’s edition, ACM remains committed to driving growth and elevating Africa’s creative economy.

For more information, visit: www.africacreativemarketglobal.com