The Federal Government is seeking to turn Nigeria’s global dominance in music, film, fashion and other creative industries into a major source of investment, jobs and export earnings through the 2026 Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX).
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said the government was no longer viewing the creative sector merely as a source of entertainment, but as a strategic engine of economic diversification.
Musawa spoke on Tuesday at a joint ministerial briefing on Nigeria’s preparations for CANEX 2026 at the ITF Skills House, Maitama, Abuja.
She said the summit would be designed to connect Nigeria’s creative talents and businesses with investors, markets and international partners, rather than simply providing a platform for exhibitions and performances.
According to her, Nigeria already possesses considerable global influence through its music, film, fashion and cultural heritage, but government must now create the conditions for the country to derive greater economic value from that influence.
“This is a shared responsibility. It is not the responsibility of one ministry. We are working together with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Afreximbank because we cannot deliver Mr. President’s vision of economic diversification alone,” she said.
The minister said the creation of the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy under President Bola Tinubu reflected the administration’s recognition of the sector’s economic potential.
Musawa said the decision to host CANEX at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, was also intended to connect Nigeria’s present creative ambitions with its cultural history.
She recalled that FESTAC ’77 placed Africa and the Black world at the centre of global cultural attention, saying CANEX would build on that legacy by positioning Nigeria as a major hub for Africa’s creative economy.
But the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, gave the clearest indication that the government wants CANEX judged by business outcomes rather than the size of its showcase.
Oduwole said Nigeria must connect its creative enterprises to finance, investors, technology, distribution networks and international markets as global trade increasingly moves beyond physical goods.
“CANEX must translate connections into transactions,” she said.
She said the government expects the event to produce measurable outcomes, including new partnerships, investment commitments, commercialisation of intellectual property, access to new markets and the expansion of Nigerian creative businesses beyond the country.
The minister said the initiative would require a whole-of-government approach involving the ministries of Finance and Industry, Trade and Investment, the Nigeria Customs Service, Immigration Service, financial institutions, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.
Oduwole also linked CANEX to Nigeria’s wider ambition to become a stronger player in African trade, particularly ahead of the Intra-African Trade Fair scheduled for Lagos in 2027.
CANEX 2026, an initiative supporting Africa’s creative industries, will hold from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in Lagos.
The organisers are inviting investors, creators, businesses and other stakeholders to the event, with the Federal Government positioning it as an opportunity to connect creativity with capital, markets and trade.