Get Guardian on GoogleCREAM (Creative, Reality, Entertainment, Arts and Music), the AI-powered direct-to-consumer superfan reward platform led by its Founder/President, Afrobeats star D’banj, and owned by D’Kings Men Media Ltd, has sealed an equity investment from CANEX Creations Incorporated, established by the Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) to invest in, develop and commercialize African intellectual property.
The deal follows a term sheet signed in Abuja in June 2025 before it was consolidated in an agreement signing ceremony on stage on 6 November 2026 at CANEX WKND 2026, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (formerly the National Theatre), Lagos.
CANEX WKND 2026 drew a record 17,000 registered participants, with Afreximbank targeting at least $1 billion in capital commitments forAfrica’s creative sector.
The bank has committed about $2 billion to Africa’s creative and cultural industries, and equity is a growing part of that support. The investment reflects Afreximbank’s broader objective of supporting the platforms and market infrastructure required for African creative content to be commercialized at scale.
CREAM launched in 2016 with MTN Nigeria and the Bank of Industry, and has signed up more than seven million subscribers since, reached through USSD code *463#, the web and its app. Its focus is AI-powered talent discovery, content monetisation and a superfan reward community.
It has monetised over 3,000 pieces of music, comedy, dance and art, and earns through telco billing, caller ringback tunes, distribution and direct sales, which gives investors recurring revenue they can track. It has given grants, free studio sessions, music videos and showcases to 16,668 creatives.
At the same event, CREAM launched FCD (Full Content Download). FCD lets fans buy full content (songs, videos, etc.) outright by dialling *463# or at creamplatform.com, independent of the streaming platforms, so artists earn from every sale while rewarding their superfans.
Through a partnership with Los Angeles-based Cinq Music Group, FCD also brings international music to Nigerian fans, starting with T.I.’s “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna. Cinq will also sign and develop 10 artists found through CREAM’s talent discovery channel.
“As I have always said, content is the new crude,” said Dapo Oyebanjo (D’banj), Founder/President, CREAM. “This is beyond a deal signing. It is history being made: Africa’s creativity becomes Africa’s capital. African creatives now have access to the financial infrastructure to compete globally, while owning and retaining our IP in Africa.”
CANEX Creations exists to turn Africa’s creativity into lasting economic value,” said Osahon Akpata, Chief Executive Officer, CANEX Creations Incorporated (a subsidiary of Afreximbank’s Fund for Export Development in Africa).
C.R.E.A.M has demonstrated early traction in talent discovery and content monetization. We expect our investment to accelerate its growth, connect more African talent with audiences and unlock greater commercial value from African creativity.”
