Africa’s prolific creative industry will be in the spotlight at this year’s Africa Walk – a gathering of local companies, policy makers and curious foreign investors learning first-hand about the continent.
This year’s Africa Walk will be hosted in Nigeria and Senegal and is set to run from July 24 – 27 in Dakar, and July 28 – 31 in Lagos.
“The creative sector in Africa has witnessed a tremendous boom in recent years, establishing itself as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy,” Senegalese media personality, Lehle Balde, said.
In its third year running, the annual event provides a unique opportunity for foreign companies and prospective investors seeking to expand their operations in Africa to gain fresh perspectives on the continent. The organisers aim to challenge the negative stereotypes often portrayed in the media, offering a more nuanced and positive view of the continent’s potential for growth and development.
“We found out that their understanding of Africa is limited to the narrative they see on TV,” Akintoye Akindele, whose firm Platform Capital hosts the event, said.
“Africa Walk is a way in which we try and tell authentic African stories, but most importantly, letting the global world see Africa through our eyes,” Akindele told CNN.
Themed “Unleashing the potential and value of the African Creative Industry,” the continent’s billion-dollar creative industry will be at the center of conversations at the event, which aims to shine a spotlight on the possibilities and untapped value that the industry holds.
Africa’s creative economy generates billions of dollars in yearly revenue and creates thousands of jobs, but the rapidly growing industry is yet to catch up with some of its global counterparts.
Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry and West Africa’s Afrobeats music genre are two of Africa’s most successful creative and cultural exports, receiving widespread recognition on the global stage.
Nollywood currently ranks as the world’s second most prolific film industry, producing thousands of movies annually and contributing significantly to Nigeria’s GDP.
In 2017, Nollywood film “The Wedding Party” became the first to exceed the $1.3 million mark after emerging as the highest grossing film at the Nigerian box office. Other blockbusters such as “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” and the recently released “Battle on Buka Street” have surpassed that record.
Similarly, Afrobeats has emerged as one of the most popular music genres worldwide, with artists such as Burna Boy and Wizkid commanding international attention and acclaim, inspiring the Grammys awards to add a category for the genre.
