As Nigeria’s creative industries continue to command global attention, a familiar question is resurfacing within policy and business circles: can the country build the systems needed to sustain its cultural momentum?
That question will sit at the centre of the QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit scheduled for August 11 in Lagos, where stakeholders are expected to confront the structural weaknesses trailing the sector’s rapid rise.
Organised by Mighty Media Plus, publishers of QEDNG, the summit comes at a time when Nigerian film, music and digital content are expanding their global footprint, yet industry players continue to grapple with financing gaps, fragmented regulation and limited institutional support.
The framing signals a shift in how industry gatherings are being positioned. Rather than celebratory showcases of success, platforms like the QEDNG summit are increasingly being used to interrogate the fundamentals of growth, from funding and policy to market access.
For Olumide Iyanda, publisher of QEDNG and convener of the summit, the growing visibility of Nigerian creatives has outpaced the frameworks needed to support them.
“Nigeria’s creative sector has grown in visibility, but the structures that support it are still evolving. The QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit is part of the effort to bring clarity, direction and serious engagement to that growth,” he says.
The framing signals a shift in how industry gatherings are being positioned. Rather than celebratory showcases of success, platforms like the QEDNG summit are increasingly being used to interrogate the fundamentals of growth, from funding and policy to market access.
Iyanda suggests that the intention is to push conversations toward implementation.
“This summit is designed as a meeting point for ideas, influence and execution. It is not just about conversations, but about outcomes that strengthen the creative economy,” he says.
That emphasis reflects a broader concern within the sector: while Nigerian creatives are winning global audiences, the domestic ecosystem has yet to fully translate that success into structured economic value.
At its inaugural edition, the summit drew participation from industry figures including Udeme Ufot and Nkiru Balonwu, alongside creatives such as Kunle Afolayan and Mike Dada. Their contributions, Iyanda notes, helped establish the tone for more rigorous engagement around the creative economy.
“The first edition showed that there is strong interest in serious engagement around the creative economy. We had contributions from experienced voices who helped set the tone for the kind of platform we are building,” he says.
The 2026 edition is expected to deepen that engagement, with discussions planned around innovation, funding models, growth strategies and the global positioning of Nigerian talent. Organisers are also expanding participation to include a wider mix of policymakers, entrepreneurs and emerging creatives, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of the industry.
Beyond the immediate event, the longer-term ambition is to build a platform that shapes both policy and practice in the sector.
“Our goal is to build a platform that remains useful over time, one that documents progress, connects stakeholders and contributes meaningfully to policy and practice,” Iyanda says.
As Nigeria looks to convert cultural influence into economic strength, the conversations in Lagos may offer an early indication of whether the industry is ready to move from momentum to maturity.
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