If you have been seeing the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 mentioned around Lagos this week, there is a lot more to it than a long list of famous names. The four-day event opened in Lagos on Thursday, November 5, at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture & Creative Arts, bringing together creatives, investors, policymakers, and business leaders from Africa and the diaspora. The event will continue until Sunday, November 8.
Hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) through its CANEX program, the gathering is focused on how Africa can turn its creative talent and cultural influence into stronger businesses. This year’s theme is “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World.”
The program covers some of the biggest parts of Africa’s creative economy, including film and television, music, fashion, sport, literature and publishing, gastronomy and visual arts, with a strong focus on finance, intellectual property, technology, skills, investment and access to markets. According to Afreximbank, CANEX is designed to help African creatives build businesses and monetize their work.
In attendance at the opening ceremony are His Excellency, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima; the governor of Lagos, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and the President of Afreximbank, Dr. George Elombi.
Part of this year’s program is the CANEX Deal Room, which aims to connect creative entrepreneurs with investors and financiers looking at opportunities across different parts of the creative economy. There will also be creative pitch sessions, where creative businesses can present their ideas and businesses to potential investors.
For Afreximbank, this is part of a wider effort to increase its support for Africa’s creative and cultural industries. The focus at CANEX WKND 2026 also goes beyond traditional creative industries as artificial intelligence and digital tools continue to change how music, film, publishing, design, and other forms of creative work are made.
The CANEX CreaThon, organized with African technology company Gebeya, will bring creators, developers, and innovators together to work on projects in music, video, and gaming. There is also a $50,000 prize pool attached to the program. There will be conversations around artificial intelligence, authorship, and intellectual property, including the question of what happens to creative ownership as more people use AI tools in their work.
Film and television will also get plenty of attention with sessions which will look at African storytelling, distribution, and financing. On November 6, there is a fireside chat with filmmaker and actor Funke Akindele. The record-breaking filmmaker will be in conversation with TV host and media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo. There are also discussions around the business of music, songwriting, and how African music can continue to find audiences and markets outside the continent.
Fashion gets its own space too, with masterclasses covering profitable African brands, textile value chains, intellectual property, and access to international markets. The program also includes the CANEX Fashion Show and Awards Night, which will start by 7:00 pm WAT on November 6.
Sport is also part of the 2026 program. Former football stars Didier Drogba and Jay-Jay Okocha are scheduled to take part in a conversation titled “When Giants Speak: The Business of the Game,” which will look at the commercial side of football. The sporting program will end with a Legends Football Match at Onikan Stadium on November 8.
Food, publishing, and the arts are also part of the weekend. There will be the CANEX Junior Chefs Competition, Africa Jollof Wars, live food demonstrations, the CANEX Book Factory, a book fair, writers’ workshops, and manuscript pitching. Visual artists will have exhibitions and sessions focused on navigating Africa’s growing art market.
And, of course, there is the entertainment side of the weekend. The event has brought together some familiar names from across African culture and the diaspora. They include Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba, and actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Thuso Mbedu.
A major concert is scheduled for Saturday, November 7. Musicians including Davido, Fally Ipupa, Flavour, and Sabrina Francis will perform at the concert. The final day, November 8, will include cultural excursions, gastronomy activities, the CANEX Music Factory Songwriting Camp, and the Legends Football Game.
