CANEX 2026 in Lagos: FG Targets Global Markets, Investment and Jobs Through Nigeria’s Creative Economy
The Federal Government has said it will use Nigeria’s hosting of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Weekend 2026 to push the country’s creative industries into global markets and to attract investment, exports and jobs. The plan for CANEX 2026 was outlined on Tuesday by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, at the State House in Abuja.
CANEX WKND 2026 will take place in Lagos from November 5 to 8. The four-day event is organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with the Federal Government, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat. It is expected to draw more than 10,000 delegates from across Africa and the diaspora. The theme is “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World: From FESTAC ’77 to CANEX’27,” and the event will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the construction of the National Theatre, which was built for FESTAC ’77.
Oduwole said the event would go beyond celebrating African creativity. Its purpose, she explained, is to connect creators and creative businesses with investors, financiers, technology providers, distributors and international markets. She described it as a platform for trade, investment, enterprise and market access rather than a simple exhibition or cultural showcase. She said the government wants to see partnerships formed, financing mobilised, intellectual property commercialised and Nigerian creative firms expanding beyond the country’s borders.
The minister argued that the global economy is increasingly creating value through technology, services, intellectual property, content and culture. Nigeria, she said, is already a major source of African music, film, fashion and creative content, and the challenge is to turn that influence into businesses and exports. She linked the effort to the government’s wider ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, and named music, film, fashion, literature, visual arts, gastronomy and sports among the strengths to be developed.
Preparations have taken on a whole-of-government character. Oduwole said the creative economy does not sit within a single ministry or institution. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment is working with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, as well as bodies responsible for foreign affairs, finance, customs, immigration, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Theatre and the Lagos State Government. Reports say Lagos is preparing health, traffic and emergency arrangements for the participants, and that all 36 states have been invited to showcase their products, culture and investment opportunities. The government is also seeking stronger financing, intellectual property protection and market access for creative businesses.
The central commercial feature will be the CANEX Exhibition and Marketplace, where creative businesses can display products, meet buyers and form partnerships. Delegate registration is open to creative entrepreneurs, independent practitioners and media platforms, and officials have urged Nigerian firms to register and take exhibition stands. The previous edition, in Algiers in 2024, featured more than 21 live performances, 13 masterclasses and a fashion showcase, and organisers say Lagos will offer a bigger programme.
Industry watchers say the real test will be whether the event delivers deals, funding and lasting market access, rather than only visibility. Creative entrepreneurs will be hoping that the November gathering leads to concrete results.
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