CANEX Makes Its Nigerian Debut
Lagos is hosting a gathering known for celebrating African creativity. CANEX WKND 2026 is bringing artists, filmmakers, fashion designers, writers, investors and other players in the creative economy together to explore how African culture can reach bigger markets, attract investment and build sustainable businesses.
The four-day event runs from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly known as the National Theatre. It is the first time Nigeria is hosting CANEX, giving Lagos a central role in a platform that connects the continent’s creative industries with the business opportunities behind them.
What exactly is CANEX, and what can visitors expect from this year’s edition?
What Is CANEX, and Why Is Afreximbank Investing in Creativity?
CANEX, short for Creative Africa Nexus, is an initiative established by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to support the growth of Africa’s creative and cultural industries.
The programme recognises that music, film, fashion, literature, visual arts, design and gastronomy are more than expressions of culture. They are industries with the potential to create jobs, generate revenue and put African businesses in front of international audiences.
Through CANEX, Afreximbank works to connect creatives and businesses with financing, training, investors, partnerships and access to new markets. The bank has also committed US$2 billion to support Africa’s creative industries between 2024 and 2027.
That focus gives CANEX WKND a slightly different character from a conventional arts festival. Alongside performances and exhibitions, it creates space for conversations about the business of creativity: who owns the work, how creators make money from it, where investment can come from and what it takes to build businesses that can compete internationally.
Music, Film, Fashion and Food Take Over CANEX WKND 2026
This year’s programme brings together several parts of the creative economy rather than placing the spotlight on one industry.
Music takes a prominent position through CANEX Music Factory 2.0, which combines a songwriting camp with a music business programme. It is designed to give artists and other music professionals room to create, exchange ideas and discuss the commercial side of the industry, including distribution, rights and international growth.
The CANEX Deal Room also connects creative businesses and project owners with potential investors and financiers. Through pitch sessions and business meetings, the organisers hope to move conversations beyond networking and towards actual investment opportunities.
There is plenty for audiences interested in the creative work itself, too. The programme includes visual arts exhibitions, fashion showcases, a book fair, film screenings and gastronomy competitions. The CANEX Shorts programme will screen short films, while Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and I Do Not Come to You by Chance are among the Nollywood titles scheduled for screening.
Fashion gets its own showcase through the CANEX Fashion Show and Awards Night, while the Africa Jollof Wars and Junior Chefs Competition bring food and culinary creativity into the mix. The event also features discussions and demonstrations around technology, including the use of artificial intelligence in creative production.
CANEX is making the case that Africa’s creative economy cannot grow by focusing on music or film alone. It needs the people, businesses and infrastructure supporting every part of the ecosystem.
Lagos Takes Centre Stage as CANEX Comes to Nigeria
CANEX has previously held standalone editions in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Algiers, Algeria. Its 2024 edition in Algiers brought together participants from 81 countries and facilitated more than US$540 million in deals, according to Afreximbank.
Bringing the gathering to Lagos is significant for a country whose music, film, fashion and food cultures already enjoy considerable international attention. Nigeria has no shortage of creative talent or globally recognisable cultural exports. The bigger challenge is building the structures that help creators and businesses retain more value from that success.
The event’s theme, “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World: From FESTAC ’77 to CANEX ’27,” also connects this edition to Nigeria’s cultural history. Nearly 50 years after Lagos hosted FESTAC ’77, CANEX returns to a city that remains an important meeting point for African and diaspora culture.
With more than 200 speakers and over 10,000 attendees projected by organisers, CANEX WKND is positioning Lagos as a meeting place for creatives, policymakers, financiers and businesses from across Africa and the diaspora.
Can the conversations lead to stronger partnerships, better access to finance and more opportunities for African creators to take their work to the world?
