For four days, Lagos is set to become the capital of Africa’s and the Caribbean’s cultural and creative industries. Starting tomorrow, creators, investors, policymakers and leading figures from the arts and entertainment world will gather in Nigeria’s largest city for CANEX WKND 2026. More than 10,000 participants are expected at this major event organised by Afreximbank. Across Lagos, preparations are gathering pace. A closer look at a city already full of excitement ahead of the event.
One people, united by culture, creating for the world. This is the vision behind CANEX WKND 2026. Lagos, Nigeria, is full of excitement. Posters and banners are appearing across public spaces, setting the tone for this major international gathering in one of Africa’s leading economic and cultural hubs.
At the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, which will host CANEX WKND from November 5 to 8, final preparations are intensifying. Infrastructure, exhibition spaces, technical facilities and logistics: everything is being put in place to welcome more than 10,000 participants expected from across Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora. Media preparations are also underway, with journalists and production teams mobilised to ensure extensive coverage of the event.
Here is the reality. Five years ago, we realized that we were providing funding to large enterprises—sometimes mid-sized organizations, sometimes national governments, or even major service providers. Yet, the further we went down this path, the less we were able to reach young people. Consequently, we had to design a program specifically tailored to the youth. That is how we launched what we call the « Creative African Nexus » (CANEX)—a name you have likely heard before. From November 5th to 8th, CANEX will host a major event in Nigeria, and we are inviting the entire world to attend. You absolutely must be there to discover everything that young Africans are capable of achieving.
GEORGE ELOMBI, Président of Afreximbank – Cameroon
On the agenda: business meetings, exhibitions, professional exchanges, networking opportunities and live performances. Music, film, fashion, sports and the arts will take centre stage. Leading artists, including Davido, Charlotte Dipanda, Fally Ipupa, Flavour and Sabrina Francis, are expected to deliver electrifying performances in Lagos.
“The CANEX program has about six different pillars. You’ve got capacity building, and one example of that would be CANEX Music Factory, which is an initiative where we train songwriters how to record a song and then we release them. So if you go onto Spotify today, you would see, you know, CanX Music Factory for a couple of different ones. Then CANEX, then the two market access programs, like CANEX Presents Africa, where we take about 20 designers to places like Harris Fashion Week and they get access to that marketplace.”
OSAHON AKPATA, CEO of CANEX – Nigeria
Driving this initiative is the African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, which aims to play a major role in supporting entrepreneurs and cultural professionals. The bank has also committed to mobilising 2 billion US dollars between 2024 and 2027 to support Africa’s creative industries. Through its Creative Africa Nexus platform, CANEX, Afreximbank is working to improve access to financing, foster partnerships, support talent and open up new opportunities for African creative products and services in international markets.
