The multi-venue event, held from November 18 to 23, recorded 28,683 attendees drawn from more than eight countries and over fifty industries, a strong debut for what organisers call a long-term platform for the continent’s creative economy.

Unlike older single-location festivals, EWA 2025 operated through five dedicated hubs spread across the city, Livespot Entertarium, Eko Hotel, EbonyLife Place, Alliance Française and Heritage Place, allowing participants to move between screenings, workshops, markets, showcases and industry meetings with unusual fluidity.

Livespot360 Managing Director, Tiwa Medubi, said the theme for the year bolstered the festival’s purpose. “This year, under the theme ‘Close the Gap,’ we set out to do something very specific: bring talent, capital, policy and platforms into the same room – not in theory, but in practice.” 

She added: “Across every lab, panel, showcase, screening and performance, one thing was clear: the gap between potential and reality is closing, because people are doing the work.”

Diplomats, government officials and cultural leaders were visible throughout the week. Among them were British Deputy High Commissioner Jonny Baxter, First Lady of Kwara State Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the Minister of Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole, and Lagos Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture Toke Benson-Awoyinka. 

Baxter noted the diplomatic relevance of the gathering, saying: “Entertainment Week Africa represents a week of celebration, partnership and progress… By Closing The Gap, we’re not just building bridges; we’re creating highways for ideas, talent and investments to flow freely between Nigeria and the UK.”

Over six days, EWA 2025 delivered 61 sessions across its major pillars, film, music, technology and culture. A total of 93 films were screened, including Chronicles of Afrobeat, The Herd, Dust to Dream, and Mama Nike & Magazine Dreams. Many screenings were paired with sought-after director sessions.

Beyond film, the festival staged 20 music showcases and 9 fashion runway presentations. More than 120 designers applied for a place on the EWA runway, with 10 emerging names, including Korede James, Dust of the Earth, Nex by Necca, Josh Amor and Sevon Dejana, selected to present collections exploring contemporary African aesthetics.

Music also brought about a candid gender-equity debate. Tiwa Savage noted the challenge facing female artists: “Out of the top 100 songs in Nigeria on Apple Music, there’s only one female song… The gap is too wide, we need to balance the scale.”

Don Jazzy added: “We’re too masculine… It affects the numbers, the airplay, the clubs”.

Deal Room, Hackathon and Story Lab Drive Innovation

The festival’s Deal Room drew 178 applications, with nine startups advancing into a four-day accelerator. Four, Aktivate, FriendnPal, Growwr and Sports Reels,  were assessed as ready to scale and attracted investor interest on the spot. Investors present included Future Africa, Askya Investment Partners, Catalyst Fund and Consonance Invest.

A parallel Hackathon selected ten teams for a rapid-build sprint. Three companies, including Musetter, Owambe and Alaba, stood out for developing prototype-ready solutions in music and fashion technology.

Another major highlight was the four-day Story Lab for emerging writers, facilitated by Lani Aisida, Nicole Asinugo and Dami Elebe, and supported by Netflix, Amazon Prime, NdaniTV and Africa Magic. Fifteen candidates were narrowed to eight and completed six pitch-ready concepts.

Cultural Moments and Public Engagement

The week also saw entertainment touchpoints, including “Jokes & Jollof,” where Big Spoon 2025 winner Lucky Chidiebere Obi secured a ₦1 million prize and a forthcoming tour with Basketmouth. In total, EWA generated more than 5 million online engagements and over 800 million digital impressions across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

The maiden edition was backed by sponsors and partners such as Livespot, Heineken, Lagos State Tourism, MTN, Pepsi, TikTok, the British High Commission, the High Commission of Canada, the US Embassy, Essenza and Multichoice. Venue and industry partners included Netflix, Amazon Prime, NdaniTV, Africa Magic, ONErpm, Empire, Virgin Music and Xchange.

Founder Deola Art Alade said the team intends to build on the momentum: “Our ambition over the coming years is for Entertainment Week Africa to establish itself as a critical part of the economic, intellectual and artistic capital of this great city. We’re delighted with the first steps towards that.”

Next Edition Confirmed

The festival will return from November 17 to 22, 2026, with an expanded continental programme under the theme “Closing the Gap.” Registration has already opened.

The post EWA 2025 Spurs Creative-Industry Growth as Lagos Event Secures New Startup Investment Deals appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This projection came from Aisha Augie, director-general of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), during an international conference in Lagos. 

The focus was that tourism and the creative economy are central to Africa’s economic growth, not side attractions.

“Tourism contributed $168 billion to Africa’s GDP in 2024 and is poised to create over 80 million new jobs in the coming decade. They are not just statistics, they represent livelihoods, opportunities and hope for the millions of Africans,” she said.

This data came from the World Travel and Tourism Council and with more interest poured into Africa’s cultural and natural attractions, the sector is on track to deliver real, measurable results. 

But Augie pointed out that without deliberate planning, most of this growth could exclude the very communities that drive it.

Africa’s festivals, traditions, and art forms are not just cultural practices, they are economic drivers. The Osun-Osogbo Festival, Ojude Oba, Calabar Carnival, and various durbars are attracting both local and foreign interest. Tourists spend money, and that money moves through communities.

“Every visitor who attends a local festival, buys a hand-packed event ticket or watches a traditional performance, is directly investing in Africa’s creative product,” she added.

Africa’s creative industries, film, music, design, fashion, and storytelling, are already making $4.2 billion each year. That figure could rise to $20 billion annually with the right structure. 

However, many of these industries are informal. Most artists, creators, and entrepreneurs do not benefit from formal protections, nor do they have access to funding or scalable platforms.

Augie noted that if Africa wants lasting progress, it must stop relying on short-term wins. “Growth without sustainability is not progress. It is merely a short-lived impulse,” she warned.

The problem is not limited to infrastructure, fairness is also an issue. Jobs are growing, but who gets them? Revenues are increasing, but who controls them? If African governments and stakeholders do not act now, they risk creating systems that enrich a few while leaving others behind.

Augie called for a direct solution. “We must commit actions that uplift Africa’s traditions, honour heritage, empower youths and protect the planet.”

Tourism and creativity in Africa already contribute to the economy, but without accountability, inclusion, and sustainability, all the projections and revenue figures will mean little. 

Africa has resources, stories, talent, and global attention. This can be turned into broad-based development.

The post Tourism to Create 80 Million Jobs in Africa, but Sustainability, Inclusion in Question appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.