The 2026 BusinessDay Creative Entertainment Summit convened policymakers, entertainment executives, legal experts, financiers, and creatives at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 for a high-level industry conversation on the future of Africa’s creative economy.
Held under the theme “Ownership is the New Global: Monetizing Afrobeats Power Through Equity, Transparency and Strategic Scale,” the summit focused on the structural and financial systems shaping the growth of Africa’s entertainment industry.
Discussions throughout the event centered on monetization, intellectual property, industry regulation, and the need to strengthen local markets to better capture the economic value generated by African creativity.
Industry leaders call for stronger local markets and better data systems
Speaking at the summit, industry stakeholders including the Keynote Speaker, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Obi Asika, emphasized the importance of building stronger domestic markets and improving data systems to support sustainable growth in the creative sector.
A recurring concern was the gap in reliable industry data, which speakers noted continues to affect decision-making and investment planning across the sector.
There were also calls to expand the economic impact of seasonal entertainment cycles beyond Lagos, with stakeholders pointing to the need for broader national participation in creative economy activity.
Creative economy faces monetization and IP challenges
One of the key issues discussed at the summit was the monetization of creative output and the protection of intellectual property across Africa’s entertainment value chain.
Industry leaders stressed that despite the global success of Afrobeats and the soaring international visibility of African creatives, significant revenue is still lost due to weak structures for tracking, collecting, and distributing royalties.
Legal and industry experts emphasize revenue systems and industry structure
Speaking exclusively to Creative Money Africa on the sidelines of the summit, Ifeyinwa Anyadiegwu, VP, Head of Legal and Business Affairs, Chocolate City Group, highlighted the importance of strengthening revenue systems within the industry.
“One thing I would say creatives and everybody in the industry should pay special attention to is just how we collect revenue and how we generate revenue because that’s truly the backbone to a sustainable industry,” she said.
She added that industry stakeholders must examine whether all available royalty streams are being properly captured and collected across the value chain.
Also speaking exclusively to Creative Money Africa at the summit, Michael Odiong, CEO, Premier Records Limited, the oldest record label in Nigeria established in 1963 with notable artists in their historic and current catalog like the late Onyeka Onwenu, Dr. Victor Olaiya, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Chief Osita Osadebe, Ras Kimono, and Gentleman Mike Ejeagha, described the summit discussions as focused on monetization, valuation, and legal frameworks around intellectual property.
He noted that the industry continues to lose significant revenue annually due to structural inefficiencies. “This country and this industry loses a lot of money, we lose hundreds of millions of dollars every year,” he said. “How do we stop this? What are the things we need to put in place to help avert this loss?”
He called for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions, and creatives to develop homegrown solutions for the sector.
Industry growth shifts toward infrastructure and behind-the-scenes value
A major theme that emerged from discussions was the need to look beyond performance and celebrity culture to the underlying infrastructure driving entertainment economics.
Speaking on broader industry dynamics exclusively to Creative Money Africa, Samuel Onyemelukwe, MD, Trace Anglophone West Africa, highlighted the importance of understanding where real value is generated in the entertainment ecosystem.
“Everybody likes the glamour of it; they want to be on stage; they want to be under the lights and on the red carpets,” he said. “But the real money is made behind them. The real money is made sometimes in the daily transactions.”
He pointed to the growth of digital consumption, gaming, and platform-based transactions as key areas where significant value is being generated within the broader entertainment economy.
Summit highlights need for stronger creative ecosystems
Across discussions, speakers emphasized the importance of building stronger institutional frameworks, improving financial structures, and expanding access to investment across Africa’s creative industries.
There were also calls to decentralize creative activity beyond major hubs like Lagos, with stakeholders pointing to opportunities in other regions across Nigeria and the continent.
The summit concluded with a shared emphasis on strengthening collaboration between government, industry players, and creatives to ensure the long-term sustainability of Africa’s entertainment economy.
