Lagos, Nigeria – November 17-22, 2026 will mark a pivotal moment in the trajectory of Africa’s burgeoning creative sector as Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) returns to Lagos for its highly anticipated fifth-anniversary edition. Under the compelling theme, "Five Years of Closing the Gap," EWA 2026 signals a significant evolution, transitioning from its established role as a premier cultural gathering to a dynamic marketplace where Africa’s creative economy actively engages in global commerce. This year’s event will host delegations from over 18 African nations and will feature the world premiere of "University of Side Hustle," the inaugural scripted feature film from Livespot Studios, underscoring EWA’s growing influence in both convening and producing intellectual property for international export.

Themed "Five Years of Closing the Gap," EWA 2026 is meticulously designed to address critical areas for the sustained growth of the continent’s creative industries. The week-long event will focus on fostering deal flow, facilitating capital access, driving talent development, championing intellectual property rights, and expanding continental market access. This strategic focus reflects EWA’s core mission: to transform African creative visibility into tangible, long-term value, ownership, and opportunity. In just five years, EWA has solidified its position as a vital platform where an extensive network of talent, founders, investors, commissioners, buyers, policymakers, platforms, and institutions converge to conduct business within an estimated $59 billion creative economy.

From Cultural Hub to Economic Engine: A Five-Year Evolution

What began as a localized event within Lagos’s vibrant creative scene has blossomed into a continent-spanning platform that intricately weaves together culture, capital, technology, and global opportunities. Across its first four editions, EWA has cultivated a substantial institutional presence, drawing over 67,800 cumulative attendees. The 2025 edition alone was a testament to its expanding reach, attracting 28,683 pass-holders from more than eight countries and over 50 diverse industries. The program featured 61 comprehensive sessions, 93 film screenings, 20 music showcases, and 9 fashion presentations. This engagement generated an impressive surge of over 5 million online interactions, achieving more than 800 million digital reach and impressions across Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe, highlighting EWA’s growing international footprint.

"University of Side Hustle": A Landmark Premiere

A cornerstone of the 2026 edition is the highly anticipated world premiere of "University of Side Hustle," the maiden scripted feature film from Livespot Studios. This Lagos-set narrative, penned by the acclaimed Dami Elebe and executive produced by Deola Art Alade, serves as a potent symbol of EWA’s ambitious expansion. It signifies a strategic shift from merely convening industry players to actively producing the very intellectual property that the African creative industry exports to the global stage. This development aligns with the broader trend of African studios and production houses increasing their investment in original content with international appeal.

Seven Pillars of Creative Economy Growth

EWA 2026 will meticulously organize its programming around seven core tracks, each designed to address specific facets of the creative economy and foster tangible outcomes. These tracks include:

• Film & TV: Focusing on narrative development, production, and distribution.
• Music: Exploring artist development, monetization, and global reach.
• Fashion & Beauty: Highlighting design, retail, and brand building.
• AI & Tech: Investigating the intersection of technology and creative innovation.
• Art & Animation: A newly introduced vertical, signaling growing interest and investment in these visual art forms.
• Live Events & Production: Addressing the intricacies of large-scale event management and execution.
• Creative Enterprise: Supporting entrepreneurship and business development within the creative sector.

Each track is conceptualized not just as a series of informative sessions but as a practical platform for generating real-world opportunities. This includes dedicated pitch sessions for emerging projects, closed-door industry roundtables for strategic discussions, intensive talent development workshops, facilitated market access initiatives, and robust post-event follow-through mechanisms to ensure sustained engagement and project progression.

Structuring Commerce: The EWA Marketplace

The 2026 program emphasizes structured commercial formats to facilitate transactions and partnerships. Key components of this marketplace include:

• EWA Deal Room: A dedicated space for connecting businesses and investors, fostering investment and partnership opportunities.
• Content and Music Markets: Platforms for licensing, distribution, and sales of creative works.
• EWA Capital Desk: Facilitating access to funding and investment for creative projects and businesses.
• Creators Hub: A nexus for creators to connect with industry professionals and opportunities.
• LABSPOT: The platform’s engine for skills and enterprise development, designed to bridge the gap between skilled creatives and viable opportunities, while also connecting sellers in film and music with buyers, distributors, and investors.

The success of these commercial initiatives was evident in the 2025 edition. The EWA Deal Room received over 178 entries, with nine companies advancing to an accelerator program. Critically, four companies—Aktivate, FriendnPal, Growwr, and Sports Reels—attracted live investor interest during the event. Investors and ecosystem partners actively engaged in the Deal Room and Hackathon included prominent entities such as Future Africa, Catalyst Fund, Consonance Invest, and Askya Investment Partners. Building on this momentum, EWA 2026 is committed to designing even more intentional pathways between creatives, founders, investors, commissioners, buyers, distributors, platforms, and institutions, aiming to streamline the process of bringing African creative ventures to fruition and scale.

Expanding Global Reach: EWA Creative Connect

EWA’s international influence has been significantly amplified through its "EWA Creative Connect" initiative. This invitation-only convening series extends the EWA platform beyond Lagos, fostering high-level engagement in key global creative capitals. The initiative debuted in Los Angeles during Grammy Week 2026, bringing together senior executives from major players like Warner Records, Adobe, Amazon, Dramabox, Afrexim, and Unilever. Further engagement followed in London during the Nigeria-UK state visit, attracting influential bodies such as the British Film Institute, Diageo, NBO Capital, and the Ministry of Trade and Investment. These convenings have successfully positioned Africa’s creative economy as a vital partner for global brands, institutions, and senior diplomatic figures, fostering direct dialogue and collaboration.

Voices of Leadership: Vision for the Future

The significance of EWA’s five-year milestone and its strategic pivot was articulated by its conveners. Deola Art Alade, Convener of Entertainment Week Africa and Group CEO of Livespot360, stated, "As we mark five years of EWA, this moment is deeply significant. EWA started with a simple but urgent belief: African creativity deserves stronger platforms, better access, and greater value. Today, the work is no longer just about convening the industry; it is about building the systems that help talent meet capital, ideas meet opportunity, and culture become long-term economic power. EWA 2026 is our boldest expression of that mission."

Darey Art Alade, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Livespot360, added, "Entertainment Week Africa has always sat at the intersection of creativity, culture and opportunity. As EWA enters its fifth year, we are focused on creating an experience that is not only inspiring, but useful. The next generation of African creative talent needs access, learning, platforms, community, and real pathways into work and enterprise. EWA 2026 is about building those bridges with intention."

Engaging with the Future

Registration and speaker submissions for EWA 2026 are now officially open, inviting participation from across the continent and the globe. Interested parties can access programming updates and registration details by visiting the official EWA website at ewafrica.com. The event’s social media channels, @ewafrica_ and @livespot360, will provide continuous updates and insights into the unfolding preparations.

About Entertainment Week Africa

Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) stands as a premier pan-African creative economy platform and market. It serves as a vital nexus, convening talent, capital, platforms, policymakers, enterprises, brands, institutions, and audiences across a diverse spectrum of creative fields. These include content creation, music, film, television, fashion, beauty, artificial intelligence, technology, live events production, creative enterprise, art, and animation. An initiative spearheaded by the Livespot Foundation and expertly produced by Livespot360, EWA has evolved into a continental powerhouse. Its primary objective is to empower African creatives and creative businesses by enhancing their access to funding, distribution networks, strategic partnerships, specialized training, employment opportunities, and global markets. The annual Lagos edition is a comprehensive affair, featuring an integrated program of sessions, screenings, showcases, labs, markets, workshops, masterclasses, pitch rooms, and investor-focused programs. Complementing this, EWA Creative Connect strategically extends the platform’s reach internationally through high-level convenings held in global creative hubs such as Los Angeles and London.

About Livespot360

Livespot360 is a leading integrated creative company dedicated to building exceptional content, immersive venues, impactful experiences, sophisticated scenic production, and robust talent pipelines throughout Africa. Founded by the visionary duo Deola Art Alade and Darey Art Alade, Livespot360 operates across five synergistic verticals: Livespot Studios, Livespot Scenic, Livespot Spaces, Livespot Experiences, and Livespot Icons. Their extensive portfolio encompasses film and television production, music creation, and branded content development; the design and execution of sets, stages, and immersive environments; the creation and management of creative venues and hospitality infrastructure; the curation of festivals and cultural intellectual property; and the forging of strategic talent partnerships with major brands, production houses, and media platforms. Livespot360 is the driving force behind influential cultural properties such as Entertainment Week Africa, Livespot X Festival, Detty December Fest, and the renowned Love Like A Movie concert series, among other significant cultural assets.