After a two-year break, Black House Media (BHM) and ID Africa, organisers of Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NEC), West Africa’s largest yearly gathering of creative industry professionals, have announced the return of the flagship conference.
Scheduled to hold from November 28 to 30, 2025, the newly introduced multi-venue global format of the 13 year-old conference will convene under the theme: Powering Africa Through Creative Enterprise at the Landmark Centre in Lagos.
Since its inception in 2013, the conference, which is always cadenced by conversations, workshops, exhibitions and master classes, has served as the premier platform for discussions, networking, innovation showcase and policy advocacy in Nigeria’s creative industry.
With nine editions held so far, the summit has hosted more than 500 industry experts as speakers and panellists, attracted over 100,000 participants, and reached an audience exceeding 100 million people across over 50 countries.
The conference has facilitated over 1,000 deals and partnerships whilst maintaining its core mission of building sustainable pathways for the entertainment industry to thrive.
In a statement released by the organisers, Nigeria’s creative economy has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, with Nollywood becoming the world’s second-largest film industry by volume and Afrobeats achieving global mainstream success.
“However, significant challenges persist. Infrastructure deficits, limited access to funding, inadequate intellectual property protection, and weak distribution networks continue to constrain growth potential and industry sustainability. The creative sector faces increasing competition from international markets whilst struggling with brain drain as talent migrates to markets with better opportunities and support systems.
“Despite these challenges, the opportunities for global impact remain immense. Africa’s creative industries have the potential to capture a significantly larger share of the global creative economy, currently worth $2.25 trillion.”
Speaking on this year’s event and its strategic impact on global platform for African creativity, Ayeni Adekunle, Founder and Convener of NECLive, said the 2025 edition of NECLive would feature a distinguished line-up of speakers and performers from across Africa and the diaspora, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, investors, corporate brands and emerging talent.
His words, “After more than a decade of facilitating crucial conversations within Nigeria’s entertainment industry, we’re witnessing an unprecedented moment where our creative talents are gaining global recognition and commercial success.”
