Africa’s creative and cultural industries — from music and fashion to gaming, publishing, and design — are full of talent, energy, and potential. With a young population and rich cultural heritage, the continent is poised for global influence. But many creative businesses still face serious barriers: limited access to finance, lack of formal support, and exclusion from credit systems.
This is where InsightsOut Africa steps in.
Supported by the British Council and led by Andani.Africa, CcHUB, HEVA Fund, and Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy (TFCC), the programme uses research to inform better policies and smarter investment in the creative sector. In its first year, InsightsOut Africa focused on one major issue: funding. Although the creative economy is growing, many businesses remain small, informal, and financially excluded. Even with the rise of mobile technologies, most creatives still struggle to access credit or benefit from the value of their work.
By gathering insights from over 400 creatives, investors, and policymakers in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, the programme uncovered key challenges. Many creatives aren’t ready for investment — and many investors are unsure about supporting the sector. This disconnect is slowing down progress and holding back long-term growth. However, InsightsOut Africa is offering more than just data. It’s offering a roadmap — a way to build a stronger, more inclusive creative economy that gives African creatives the tools, investment, and support they need to thrive. Their newly released report, Invest in Africa’s Creative Industries, dives deeper into the current landscape and lays out the urgent steps needed to unlock sustainable growth across the sector.
The Role of Investment in Africa’s Creative Renaissance
Africa’s cultural renaissance is undeniable. Global institutions like the Mastercard Foundation, UNESCO, and The New York Times have acknowledged the continent’s rising influence in the creative industries. From the music scene in Lagos to the fashion and design hubs in Johannesburg and Nairobi, the creative sector is bursting with talent and entrepreneurial energy. Yet, as Insights Out Africa underscores, this success has not been driven by strong policy frameworks or structured financial support. Rather, it is the result of the resilience, determination, and ingenuity of the continent’s creatives.
Investment in Africa’s CCIs is fragmented and often inadequate. Retail banks are largely unfamiliar with the sector, and local investors are only just beginning to understand its potential. While foreign direct investment (FDI) and co-production agreements have provided some support, they are not enough to sustain long-term, inclusive growth. What is needed is a smarter, more strategic investment approach that goes beyond funding to include business support, policy reform, and infrastructure tailored to the creative sector.
Key Report Insights
Despite the challenges, several promising trends are beginning to shape the future of Africa’s creative economy:
- Digital Convergence: African CCIs are increasingly merging with tech sectors, opening up new avenues for investment. The rise of content creation, e-commerce, immersive technologies, and streaming platforms is catching the attention of investors, creating new opportunities for growth.
- Urban Creative Hubs: Africa’s rapidly urbanising cities are becoming hotbeds for cultural innovation. Urban hubs in cities like Lagos, Johannesburg, and Nairobi are becoming key spaces for incubation, mentorship, and funding readiness. These hubs foster collaboration and create fertile ground for new creative ventures.
- Innovation by Creatives: New models of support for emerging talent are beginning to emerge. Platforms like Empawa Africa, founded by Afrobeats star Mr Eazi, combine grants, mentoring, and industry partnerships to nurture up-and-coming creatives. These models are empowering the next generation of African talent and demonstrating the potential for creative entrepreneurs to thrive with the right support.
Tailored approaches to investment
The Insights Out Africa programme recognises that each country has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities when it comes to creative industry investment. As such, the research took a tailored approach to investment, with each consortium partner leading research in a different country. For instance, Kenya has been highlighted as a leader in experimenting with innovative investment mechanisms, driven by the work of HEVA Fund. Kenya’s growing middle class, digital innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit are helping to build a more robust creative economy.
Other countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, offer additional lessons in creative investment. Each has its own distinct challenges and areas of opportunity, but all share the potential for growth with the right mix of funding, policy support, and infrastructure development.
A call for strategic investment frameworks
The report’s findings make one thing clear: piecemeal solutions will not suffice. The time has come for a comprehensive, strategic investment framework for Africa’s creative industries. This framework must go beyond simple financial support and include key components such as:
- Access to finance for both formal and informal creative enterprises: By broadening access to capital, more creatives can scale their businesses and innovate.
- Improved investor education and sector-specific funding mechanisms: Investors need to understand the creative sector’s potential and how best to support it.
- Leveraging IP as a growth tool: Intellectual property is a powerful asset for creative enterprises. With the right tools and understanding, IP can drive economic growth and enable greater participation in the global economy.
- Inclusive support systems: Policies and support structures must reflect the continent’s diversity, ensuring that all creatives, regardless of background or geography, have access to the resources they need to succeed.
This call is not just directed at governments; it is a rallying cry for all stakeholders involved in the creative economy — investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and civil society. The future of Africa’s CCIs depends on a collective effort to shape an ecosystem that nurtures creative potential and empowers talent.
The time for action is now. Insights Out Africa has provided a crucial roadmap for unlocking Africa’s creative potential. By tackling the systemic barriers to investment and promoting smarter, more structured financing, the programme envisions a future where African CCIs are globally competitive and integral to the continent’s economic growth and cultural identity.
The next steps for the African creative economy are clear: create inclusive support systems, expand access to finance, leverage IP for growth, and ensure that all stakeholders — from government to investor — are engaged in building a sustainable, thriving ecosystem. The time for piecemeal solutions is over; Africa’s creative industries deserve an investment framework that reflects their immense potential.
It’s time for creativity to be seen as capital and for Africa to lead the world in defining what a truly inclusive, thriving creative economy looks like.For more insights on Insights Out Africa and to explore the full country reports, visit insightsout.africa
