Afreximbank is targeting buyers, investors and financing partners to help African creative businesses turn their talents into commercially viable enterprises, as it seeks to address market access and funding gaps limiting the growth of the continent’s creative economy.
Kanayo Awani, executive vice president, Intra-African Trade Fair at Afreximbank, said Africa’s large youthful population and abundance of creative talent would not automatically translate into economic benefits without deliberate efforts to commercialise their skills and connect them to markets.
Speaking with two Journalists immediately after the ministerial roundtable at CANEX Weekend 2026 in Lagos, Awani said financing remained a challenge for creative businesses, but stressed that the sector faced other constraints, including informality, inadequate business skills and limited understanding of intellectual property rights.
She said creative entrepreneurs needed training not only to improve their artistic abilities but also to acquire the capacity to manage businesses, protect their intellectual property and understand how to use their creative assets to attract resources.
According to her, registering and protecting intellectual property gives creators ownership of their work and creates opportunities to leverage those assets for financing and commercialisation.
Awani said access to buyers and sustainable markets was another major requirement for the sector, explaining that CANEX Weekend was designed to bring buyers and sellers together and create opportunities for African creative businesses to secure consistent orders.
She cited the fashion exchange as an example of the initiative’s market access strategy, noting that the platform connects African fashion designers with buyers, including major retail outlets, to help them secure orders beyond one-off exhibitions.
In the music sector, she said Afreximbank was supporting collaborations and promoting Afrofusion music while facilitating the protection of intellectual property in the music produced and improving access to markets.
The bank is also supporting businesses in gastronomy through masterclasses on packaging and efforts to connect them with buyers, creating opportunities for African spices, nuts, beverages and other culinary products to reach markets outside the continent.
Awani said CANEX Weekend also provides an exhibition platform for businesses to showcase their brands, while its deal room connects creative entrepreneurs seeking financing with potential investors and partners.
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She said the financing opportunities extend beyond traditional debt to include equity, private and venture capital, as well as joint venture arrangements needed to support the growth of creative enterprises.
Afreximbank focuses on seven creative sectors through its programmes, including film, music, fashion, sports, literature and culinary arts, she said.
Awani described CANEX Weekend 2026 as a precursor to the Intra-African Trade Fair scheduled for 2027, saying the smaller gathering offered a preview of the larger trade platform, which had attracted 15,000 registered delegates.
She said the bank would continue to develop programmes targeting specific creative sectors to strengthen businesses, improve market access and help Africa realise the economic potential of its cultural and creative industries.
Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.
