With less than two months to go, preparations are in top gear for Lagos, Nigeria to host Africa’s largest gathering of creative and cultural industries — Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND 2026), from 5 to 8 November 2026. The event is being hosted by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in partnership with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
CANEX WKND 2026 will bring together creatives, investors, policymakers, financiers, buyers and industry leaders to connect talent with finance, markets, partnerships and commercial opportunities. The four-day event will be held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos, and will attract participants from across Africa, the Caribbean and the wider diaspora.
Held under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World: From FESTAC ’77 to CANEX’27,” CANEX WKND 2026 will provide a platform to support the development, commercialisation and expansion of Africa’s creative and cultural industries. The focus will be on improving access to finance, markets, skills, partnerships and investment opportunities.
The programme will feature activities across film, music, fashion, literature, visual arts, gastronomy and sport, combining business and investment discussions with showcases, exhibitions, masterclasses and networking opportunities. Key programme components will include the CANEX Finance Summit and Deal Room, CANEX Shorts Film Competition, Jollof Wars Competition, CANEX Music Factory Songwriting Camp, Junior Chefs Competition, Fashion Show and Awards Night, CANEX Mega Concert and Legends Football Match.
At the heart of the business programme, the CANEX Deal Room will provide creative entrepreneurs and businesses the opportunity to present projects to financiers and investors. This will help strengthen commercially viable creative enterprises and develop sustainable value chains across Africa’s creative economy.
Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, noted that CANEX WKND provides an important platform for converting Africa’s creative talent into sustainable commercial opportunities. Nigeria’s hosting of CANEX WKND 2026 reflects the country’s longstanding contribution to Africa’s cultural and creative industries and its growing role as a hub for creative enterprise.
The Lagos edition will build on the legacy of FESTAC ’77 and serve as a test run for the fifth edition of the biennial Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2027), which Nigeria will host in November 2027. Afreximbank has committed US$2 billion to support Africa’s creative industries between 2024 and 2027, reflecting the Bank’s commitment to strengthening the sector’s contribution to trade, enterprise development and employment across the continent.
Key points
- CANEX WKND 2026 will provide a platform to support the development, commercialisation and expansion of Africa’s creative and cultural industries.
- The event will feature activities across film, music, fashion, literature, visual arts, gastronomy and sport.
- Afreximbank has committed US$2 billion to support Africa’s creative industries between 2024 and 2027.
