The CANEX Create-thon, held on November 6 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Cultural and Creative Arts in Lagos, Nigeria, has announced its nine winners. The competition, organized by Afreximbank in partnership with Gebeya and the Afreximbank Innovation Lab, challenged creators to develop innovative projects using artificial intelligence. The winners were selected from 792 entries submitted by nearly 6,000 creators from 43 countries.
The Create-thon aimed to demonstrate how access to technology can enable African creators to bring their ideas to life through digital creations powered by AI. The competition provided participants with access to Dala Studio, a platform developed by Gebeya, which offers AI-powered tools for creating video games, videos, and music. A panel of judges, comprising industry experts, evaluated the finalists' presentations to select the top winners.
The top three winners in each category of video game, video, and music received prizes of $7,000, $3,500, and $1,500, respectively. Additional rewards are also planned for eligible creators from the top 20 African countries. The competition's grand prize money totaled $50,000. The winners were announced during a live finale that drew industry stakeholders and experts.
Temwa Gondwe, Director of Creative Industries and Diaspora for Afreximbank, emphasized the importance of enabling African creators to harness their cultural influence to drive economic benefits. He called for affordable access to computing power, user-friendly creation tools, efficient distribution channels, and stronger intellectual property protection. Gondwe stressed that Africa's participation in the AI revolution is not a question of if, but how much value the continent can create, retain, and preserve.
Amadou Daffe, CEO and co-founder of Gebeya, encouraged young Africans to move beyond experimenting with AI and use the technology to develop revenue-generating products and services. He highlighted the need to make digital tools more accessible to African users by offering features in local languages and payment options in local currencies. Daffe drew on Gebeya's experience in providing accessible digital solutions.
A panel discussion titled "Claiming Our Stake in the AI Revolution" explored the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in the creative sector. The discussion focused on the importance of thoughtful storytelling, cultural representation, algorithmic biases, and access costs to digital tools. The panelists emphasized the need to examine the stories being told and how African cultures are represented in AI-generated content.
The CANEX Create-thon is part of Afreximbank's broader efforts to develop and promote the commercialization of African cultural and creative industries through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) program. The program aims to help creators access markets, form partnerships, and benefit from their creative works. The Afreximbank Innovation Lab, launched during the event, seeks to bring together stakeholders to develop ideas and technologies that support African trade.
Key points
- Nine creators won top prizes in Afreximbank's CANEX Create-thon.
- The competition used AI to develop video games, videos, and music.
- The Create-thon aims to promote African creative industries and provide access to technology and markets.
