The second edition of PodFest Naija, held on September 25 at Harbour Point in Lagos, brought together over 50 storytellers and industry voices for discussions on creativity, culture, and the future of the creator economy. The festival, organised by The Muvmnt Studio, in partnership with Eventful Nigeria, provided a platform for emerging creators to learn about monetisation and build networks.
The event featured a keynote address by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who highlighted the creative sector's growing importance in Lagos' economic and cultural identity. Hamzat noted that technology has changed how Nigerian stories are created, distributed, and consumed globally, with content produced by Nigerian creators viewed as a form of cultural and economic export.
The festival also featured the Citizen Stage, which gave ordinary Nigerians a chance to discuss their experiences and concerns with prominent creators and industry leaders. For Tosin Adefeko, Convener of PodFest Naija and CEO of AT3 Resources, The Muvmnt Agency, the festival aimed to address the gap between digital platform creators and their audiences.
One of the festival's main attractions was The Uncovered Series, featuring a conversation between Adefeko and award-winning actress Funke Akindele. The session explored Akindele's career, including sacrifice, resilience, and creativity. The festival also launched The Next Big Podcaster, an initiative to identify, develop, and promote emerging voices.
The initiative, sponsored by Afrinvest and Yolly, ended with Clement Akintade emerging as the winner. According to the organisers, the initiative aims to create a pipeline for young Nigerians to transform creativity and storytelling into sustainable careers. PodFest Naija 2026 also recognised established contributors to Nigeria's creative ecosystem through the PodFest Hall of Fame.
The festival featured personalities including Joro Olomofin, Toolz Oniru-Demuren, and Ify Mogekwu, among others. Beyond panel discussions, the festival included live podcast recordings, creator conversations, and monetisation masterclasses. The organisers designed the programming to move the conversation beyond content creation to the opportunities and businesses that can emerge from storytelling.
The festival attracted support from brands and organisations, including Meta, MTN, and Coca-Cola. Adefeko stated that the long-term vision of PodFest Naija is bigger than podcasting, aiming to provide Nigerians with a space to tell their stories and connect across different generations, industries, and communities.
Key points
- The festival brought together over 3,000 creators, podcasters, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to discuss Nigeria's growing storytelling industry.
- The event featured a keynote address by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who highlighted the creative sector's growing importance in Lagos' economic and cultural identity.
- The festival launched The Next Big Podcaster, an initiative to identify, develop, and promote emerging voices in Nigerian podcasting.
