Greater visibility for creators

Afreximbank and Gebeya are launching the CANEX Create-thon for African creators in music, video, and video games.

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, is launching an initiative to support African creators, in partnership with Gebeya. This pan-African technology company has a large proprietary language model and an infrastructure designed for users of African languages.

With a total prize fund of $50,000, the CANEX Create-thon 2026 aims to help African creators turn their original ideas into tangible creative projects. The initiative brings together musicians, filmmakers, storytellers, video game developers and other creators to develop projects in three categories: music, video and video games.

Participants will have access to Gebeya’s Dala Studio platform, IT resources and practical technical support to help them develop their ideas during an intensive creative sprint , scheduled for 20–24 August 2026.

Unlike a traditional pitch competition, the CANEX Create-thon will invite participants to create and present working prototypes or fully realised creative projects. “ This initiative aims to demonstrate what African creators are capable of producing when they have access to suitable digital tools, resources, advice, funding and opportunities for greater visibility ”, explains Afreximbank in a press release.

Temwa Gondwe, Director of Creative Industries and the Diaspora at the trade bank, elaborates: “ African creators enjoy high visibility and possess the necessary digital skills, but they have often lacked financial support and struggle to access the digital tools needed to develop their businesses. The CANEX Create-thon bridges this gap by offering creators access to the technology needed to transform their viral ideas into viable, sustainable businesses ”. As such, the programme enables creators “ to derive greater value from their work and build a competitive foothold in regional and global markets ”, adds the director, who believes that “ it is time for African creators to realise the true financial value of their global influence ”.

Moving from inspiration to realisation

The CANEX Create-thon competition is open to amateur, emerging and established creators from across Africa. Participants will not need the support of a production company, nor access to a traditional studio or an existing audience.

Individual creators and teams may take part, provided they comply with the competition rules. Throughout the creative sprint, participants will be supported by around thirty ambassadors from Gebeya’s community network. These ambassadors will help participants navigate the Dala Studio platform, overcome technical challenges and make effective use of the IT resources made available to them.

“ The commercial momentum driving African creativity is already evident,” says Amadou Daffe, CEO of Gebeya. Revenues from recorded music in sub-Saharan Africa have risen by more than 20 per cent in a single year, the video games market on the continent continues to grow, and the Nigerian film industry remains one of the largest in the world in terms of production volume . “However,” he acknowledges, “many creators still struggle to access the technologies and production infrastructure needed to realise the full potential of their ideas. Consequently, ‘ through Dala Studio, the CANEX Create-thon will place practical digital tools directly into the hands of creators and invite them to develop original projects in the fields of music, video and video games ’.” Gebeya’s objective: “ To help African creators move from inspiration to realisation, and from experimentation to products capable of reaching audiences, attracting partners and generating commercial value .”

In each category, the winners will receive $7,000, $3,500 and $1,500; the finalists will each receive $500. The winner of each category will be invited to take part in CANEX WKND 2026, to be held at the National Theatre in Lagos (Nigeria) from 5 to 8 November 2026.

In addition to the cash prizes, selected winners will gain increased visibility through the CANEX network and have the opportunity to network with creators, companies, investors, policy-makers, and leaders in the creative industries sector.

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