NEC Live returns for 9th edition

One of Africa’s biggest and longest-running conclave of entertainment and creative industry professionals, NEC Live, will return in-person for the first time in three years, as a hybrid event, its founders, the Nigerian Communications Advisory, ID Africa, has announced. The organisers also said that this 9th edition would be held on April 27, in the country’s entertainment capital, Lagos.

This year, NECLive9 will blend an in-person event featuring a select number of guests, with online participants and a live global broadcast across cable TV, radio and online.

Founded in 2013, the creative and entertainment industry platform features a multinational roster of speakers, panelists and performers interacting with a live audience from around the world. This year’s edition, themed “Sustaining The Africa Momentum”, will explore how African creatives and entertainers can use digital media and technology tools to build sustainable economic power for themselves, the industry, and their nations.

The event will also curate conversations and discussions focused on the cross-border opportunities available to Africa’s entertainment industry through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) when it becomes fully operational, as well as  global opportunities available within diaspora communities.

In light of the upcoming 2023 general elections in Nigeria, NECLive9 will also delve into the role of creatives and the entertainment industry in nation building, including how to use entertainment as a vehicle for driving social change on the continent.

According to NECLive Convener, Ayeni Adekunle, “In the past two years, we’ve seen how powerful entertainment and pop culture can be in influencing social change and driving narratives. NECLive has been at the forefront of conversations around moving the entertainment industry forward and maximizing its potentials; and for the ninth instalment, we’re continuing with this mission by engaging relevant stakeholders in discussions that will set the tone for the future of not just the industry but our continent as a whole.”

The conference will also feature live performances by entertainers from across Africa, and will also include product unveilings, brand announcements and industry tributes.