Five destinations, one objective, depicting the true meaning of collaboration within and outside the continent, Africa Creative Market (ACM), a pan-African creative economy platform that drives trade, skills development, investment, and policy alignment across Africa’s creative sectors is set to mark its five years of impact with a bold, five-city global activation in Lusaka, Lagos, Cannes, Johannesburg, and Kigali.
  
With Zambia as the 2026 main host, following a strong Zambian delegation to ACM in Nigeria last year, ACM collaborated with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Arts and a host of Zambian stakeholders to bring the continent’s most ambitious creative economy to Zambia in 2026.
  
A major pillar of the Lusaka flagship will be creative tourism and film destination positioning, showcasing Zambia’s landscapes, talent, culture, and infrastructure to global producers, studios, and investors – strengthening Zambia’s place in the international film and creative economy.
  
The ACM milestone year will be anchored by a six-day flagship event in Lusaka, Zambia, following highly successful satellite activations in Cannes, Lagos, Johannesburg, and Kigali. The Lusaka edition will integrate seamlessly with the Creative Industry Business Summit and the Kwimbo National Arts Festival, positioning Zambia as a leading creative and film destination while attracting global investors, creators, studios, platforms, policymakers, and cultural leaders.
  
With delegates expected from across Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East, ACM 2026 is designed to connect, create, and catalyse Africa’s creative future.
  
Remarking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, Zambia, Kangwa Chileshe said: “Zambia is proud to host ACM 2026.

This partnership reflects our commitment to building a vibrant creative economy that creates jobs especially for our youth, attracts investment, and positions Zambia as a destination for film, culture, and innovation. We look forward to welcoming the world to Lusaka.”
  
Zambian Partner, ACM, Abel Silungwe said: “Bringing ACM to Zambia is transformational. It opens our creative ecosystem to the world, creates real market access for Zambian creatives, and positions the country as a serious player in film, digital media, and the wider creative industries.”
  
Founder, Africa Creative Market, Inya Lawal said: “ACM turns five this year 2026, and this moment is about scale, substance, and legacy. Hosting our main event in Zambia, after an incredible delegation experience in Nigeria, signals the future of African collaboration. From Cannes to Lusaka, Lagos to Johannesburg and Kigali, ACM 2026 is Africa showing up globally, together.”
  
With the five-city vision, ACM 2026 will amplify Africa’s creative voice on the world stage while deepening cross-border partnerships and market access as it spotlights film, games, animation, fashion, art, music, dance and digital media, delivering a high-impact mix of conference sessions and expert-led masterclasses, launches, cocktail gatherings, and bilateral meetings, Hackathons, game centres, and innovation showcases.