Africa’s creative and cultural industries are facing global attention majorly driven by a wave of young content creators who have taken onto social media to grow their reach and break the barriers. Nigerian films have garnered significant global fame with the sector contributing $7.2 billion to Nigeria’s GDP annually. CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has.
The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. The video is from CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries to unpack strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the massive potential the industry has. And Ezekiel, one of the countries that has stood out in terms of starting from scratch to where they are today is Turkey. We've seen their content is coming quite fast, just to name but one of the countries that has struck me. Perhaps looking at the challenge ahead and moving from talk to action, what will be a priority for you, for African filmmakers, African policymakers, to put front and center in order to see the sector advance at the pace it should? Okay, so it's interesting you mentioned Turkey because it's a case study that a lot of us researchers in this sphere are studying. The reason why we came together and formed PIPEC, which is the Pan-African Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center, is to attain what Turkey is attaining. Number one is if we want to get where Turkey is, we have to bridge the gap between investors and creatives with actionable data and evidence-based policy recommendations. When our governments adopt these evidence-based policy reforms, we will create an environment that will attract investors. Number two, the world is leaping forward with technology integration in all sectors. African creative industries must, and I repeat this, must champion the integration of creative technology because this is how we preserve our culture. This is how we reach global audiences. This is how we break the biases of unpaid royalties and ensure African creatives have the tools to thrive globally. Number three, we have to deliver robust market research so that de-risking of CCI investments becomes an easier fare for DFIs. And last, I think advocating for shifting the focus on training creatives because in Africa, I do believe the capacity to do and the capacity for talent is there, but there is an over-focus on training creatives. But I think it's time we shift focus from training creatives to actually training and empowering policymakers and financiers to understand the sector. And most importantly, I'd say breaking the bias. This would sound a bit controversial, but it is important to mention. In my view, the world of finance and investment still sees creativity or the African creative economy as a soft sector, not a serious enterprise sector. For instance, the Africa CEO Forum is a beautiful event that we all love, an annual event that happens in this very continent of Africa. But it has a 10 million turnover threshold for any business for their C-suit executives to participate. I mean, how can that allow creative enterprises in Africa to even participate? When we know too well that threshold will probably lock out 99% of CEOs and executives from African creative enterprises. That said, in the same forums, we still make big money announcements of how we will invest in the CCIs while we locked them out by that threshold. I just think that such things should be looked at so that we don't epitomize the biases. And I say this in boldness because we've seen the impact of this bias. Number one, investors quickly realize they don't have the tools to deliver on their promises. Two, internal teams in the DFIs face confusion because it's hard to develop a roadmap if you don't understand the players and the sectors they're in. And then number three, there is the delays and redirections where you have a project that's to be funded, timelines are delayed, it's pushed indefinitely, and then the project is abandoned altogether. The ripple effect of this is three very fundamental things. Number one, it's missed opportunities. Our African government missed opportunities from promising initiatives that can actually propel the issue of job creation and economic development and GVAs and GDPs for our local cities and counties. Number two is eroded trust. Creatives lose faith in the system and this leads to skepticism. So when new funding announcements are announced, the best of the projects tend to not participate anymore. And three is reinforced stereotypes. The cycle of over-promising and under-delivering perpetuates the misconceptions that the creative economy in Africa is too risky to invest in. So that's what I'd say in that issue. Quite an insightful conversation there, Ezekiel. And in just under 30 seconds, I know you've been in the industry doing some amazing work. What big projects are you working on in 2025 and what should we expect? My baby and my big project right now is PIPEC, which is the Pan-African Innovation Policy and Evidence Center. We have realized that everything I've packaged today is as a result of the DFIs are simply blind in Africa. They want to invest, but they lack the evidence that will guide them to remodel the financing model. So that is the space PIPEC is hoping to respond to and also encourage and incubate the integration of creative technologies in all our creative sectors so we are not left behind. And last but not least, ensure that we are out of the conversation and pose challenges to institutions like yours to ensure that we are not just out of the conversation. But sooner or later, we start understanding why are African creative enterprises not in the stock markets? Why are they not making it in the finance radar? So that is my child. But in the practice side, I am here to support any creative enterprise, whether it's in film, whether it's in software development, any other subsector, to ensure that we package our data and we start remodeling our business to be fit for purpose of investment.
Theme: Strategies for unlocking Africa's creative economy through evidence-based policies, technology integration, and investor engagement.
Africa’s creative and cultural industries have been gaining global attention, driven by a wave of young content creators utilizing social media to expand their reach and break barriers. Nigerian films, in particular, have achieved significant global fame, with the sector contributing $7.2 billion annually to Nigeria’s GDP. To delve deeper into strategies that African Governments can employ to harness the vast potential of the industry, CNBC Africa’s Aby Agina sat down with Dr. Ezekiel Onyango, Founder of the Pan-Africa Innovation, Policy, and Evidence Center for Cultural and Creative Industries. Dr. Onyango outlined key priorities for African filmmakers and policymakers to propel the sector forward. One crucial aspect highlighted by Dr. Onyango is bridging the gap between investors and creatives by providing actionable data and evidence-based policy recommendations. By adopting these reforms, governments can create an environment that attracts investors, ultimately fueling growth in the creative industry. Additionally, Dr. Onyango emphasized the importance of integrating creative technology within African creative industries to preserve culture, reach global audiences, and empower African creatives to thrive internationally. Furthermore, delivering robust market research to de-risk Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI) investments is essential to facilitate involvement from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). Dr. Onyango also stressed the need to shift focus from solely training creatives to empowering policymakers and financiers with a deeper understanding of the sector. Breaking biases in the perception of the African creative economy as a soft sector is critical to fostering investment and sustainable growth. Dr. Onyango highlighted the impact of biases on investment decisions, citing missed opportunities, eroded trust, and reinforced stereotypes within the industry. By addressing these biases and providing the necessary tools and support, African governments can unlock the full potential of the creative economy, driving job creation, economic development, and GDP growth. In looking towards the future, Dr. Onyango shared his primary focus on the Pan-African Innovation Policy and Evidence Center (PIPEC) as a crucial project for guiding DFIs in Africa. PIPEC aims to encourage the integration of creative technologies across various sectors and advocate for the inclusion of African creative enterprises in financial markets. By supporting creative enterprises in data packaging and business remodeling, PIPEC seeks to position African creatives for increased investment opportunities and financial visibility. As Dr. Onyango continues his work in supporting creative enterprises, he challenges institutions to address the systemic barriers that hinder African creative businesses from accessing financial markets and gaining traction in the investment landscape. By championing evidence-based policies, integrating technology, and advocating for a shift in focus towards empowering policymakers and financiers, African governments can unlock the full potential of the continent’s vibrant creative economy.
"When our governments adopt these evidence-based policy reforms, we will create an environment that will attract investors."
['Africa', 'creative economy', 'Nigeria', 'CCI investments', 'cultural industries', 'Pan-Africa Innovation']