In alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Africa Creatives Alliance (ACA) has emerged as a transformative force for the continent’s cultural and creative sectors. Officially launched at the inaugural Africa Urban Forum in Ethiopia, the ACA aims to harness Africa’s immense creative potential to drive socio-economic growth and innovation. As the Founding Director, Rita Ngenzi, discuss the ACA’s roadmap and initiatives with Capital as she emphasizes the critical need for a coordinated effort to build robust Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ecosystems across Africa. In this in-depth interview, we explore the vision behind the ACA, its strategic pillars, and how it plans to empower young creatives while addressing existing challenges within the sector. Excerpts;

Capital: Can you elaborate on the vision behind the Africa Creatives Alliance and what inspired its formation?

Rita Ngenzi: By 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African, and the continent must create 600 million new jobs by 2030 to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, only about 3 million jobs are available annually for the 20 million young Africans entering the job market each year. This highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to generate employment and reduce poverty, particularly among youth.

The opportunity lies in the creative economy, which encompasses a wide range of sectors, including creative arts and sciences such as visual arts, music, film, fashion, literature, architecture, performing arts, gaming, animation, digital media, software development, and cultural heritage industries. This economy also includes related value chains, such as marketing, tourism, trade, intellectual property, technology services, education, and infrastructure. The creative economy is projected to reach USD 985 billion by 2023, with Nigeria alone contributing USD 18 billion to GDP in 2020. Globally, cultural and creative industries (CCIs) employ over 30 million people, with economic contributions ranging from 0.5% to 7.3% of GDP and employing between 0.5% to 12.5% of the workforce.

The ACA aims to provide a coordinated, data-driven response that harnesses the power of Africa’s creative economy. While numerous interventions exist across the continent, many operate in silos without leveraging each other’s resources effectively. Therefore, the ACA focuses on integrated ecosystem collaboration to catalyze investment and enhance market systems across CCIs and their related value chains.

Our approach is built on four key pillars: Ecosystem Building and Convening, Evidence-based Advocacy & Policy Influence, Education and Capacity Building, and Investment and Infrastructure Facilitation. Through these strategic pillars, the ACA seeks to create an environment where cultural and creative industries can thrive, driving job creation, reducing poverty, and empowering Africa’s youth.

Capital: How do you see the cultural and creative industries contributing to Africa’s socio-economic transformation under Agenda 2063?

Rita Ngenzi: The vision for ‘The Africa We Want,’ as articulated by the African Union in its Agenda 2063, serves as a comprehensive framework for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse. Central to this vision is the recognition of culture’s vital role in mobilizing and unifying communities around shared ideals, as highlighted by the African Charter for African Cultural Renaissance. This charter emphasizes the importance of promoting African culture to foster the ideals of Pan-Africanism.

The formation of the ACA is crucial for empowering cultural and creative entrepreneurs to make meaningful contributions to this continent-wide agenda. Aligned with the AU Vision 2063, the ACA aims to harness the potential of Africa’s creative and cultural sectors to achieve development and integration goals.

To effectively leverage the power of these industries, it is essential to understand how cultural and creative sectors can be integrated into various programs and policies. This integration must ensure the intrinsic development of these sectors while simultaneously delivering positive outcomes in other areas of development. By raising awareness and creating synergies between CCIs and broader economic and social initiatives, the ACA strives to maximize their impact, ultimately contributing to the sustainable transformation of Africa.

Capital: What specific steps will the ACA take to bridge the gaps in the current cultural and creative industries ecosystem across Africa?

Rita Ngenzi: A key challenge facing CCIs is the fragmented nature of support systems, where hubs, incubators, and creative enterprises often operate independently, limiting access to resources, markets, and expertise. The ACA’s approach, through its Ecosystem Building and Convening pillar, is to work with existing initiatives, structures, and organizations to create a unified network. By collaborating with creative hubs, incubators, accelerators, and stakeholders, the ACA aims to strengthen the overall ecosystem, allowing creatives to share resources, collaborate, and scale their businesses across the continent.

Another critical area is creating an enabling environment through policies and regulations that support the growth of the creative sector. The ACA’s Evidence-based Advocacy & Policy Influence pillar will work to ensure that CCIs are integrated into national and regional development plans. By leveraging data and engaging policymakers, we aim to advocate for frameworks that unlock opportunities for creatives, providing them with access to the infrastructure, markets, and funding necessary to thrive.

Additionally, the ACA focuses on Education and Capacity Building, working alongside existing programs to equip creatives with the skills needed to navigate the evolving digital and global landscape.

By partnering with existing initiatives and structures, the ACA will foster a more interconnected and supportive ecosystem that bridges gaps in policy, resources, and capacity, driving sustainable growth across Africa’s creative industries.

Capital: How will collaboration with organizations like the African Union, UN-Habitat, and others enhance the effectiveness of the ACA?

Rita Ngenzi: Collaboration with organizations like the African Union, UN-Habitat, and others is crucial for the ACA to effectively align its efforts with broader continental and global development goals. The ACA’s mission directly supports Agenda 2063, which envisions “The Africa We Want”—a continent that is prosperous, integrated, and globally competitive. By working with the African Union and other partners, we ensure that the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) play a central role in realizing this vision, particularly in terms of creating jobs, fostering social cohesion, and promoting African culture on a global stage.

Additionally, the ACA’s work aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

The AfCFTA also presents an opportunity for Africa’s creative economy by breaking down trade barriers and enabling greater market access across the continent. Through partnerships with AfCFTA-related institutions, the ACA will work to ensure that CCIs benefit from these expanded markets, allowing creatives to scale their businesses beyond borders and access new opportunities in different regions.

By collaborating with these organizations, the ACA will enhance its ability to influence policy, advocate for infrastructure development, and create an enabling environment that integrates CCIs into Africa’s broader economic and development agendas, driving long-term impact and growth across the continent.

Capital: Given that a significant portion of jobs in the creative sector is held by youth, how does the ACA plan to engage and empower young creatives?

Rita Ngenzi: We recognize that a significant portion of jobs in the creative sector is held by youth, making it imperative to actively engage and empower this demographic. Our strategy is built on several key pillars designed to provide young creatives with the resources, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive.

First, we are committed to Ecosystem Building and Convening, which involves creating a supportive network of creative hubs, incubators, educational institutions, investors, financial institutions, government institutions, development agencies etc. This interconnected ecosystem will ensure that resources, knowledge, and opportunities are effectively shared, enabling stakeholders to collaborate and innovate collectively.

Second, through Evidence-Based Advocacy and Policy Influence, the ACA aims to amplify the voices of young creatives in policy discussions. We will advocate for policies that support youth employment and entrepreneurship in the creative sector, ensuring that their needs and aspirations are reflected in national and regional development agendas. This advocacy will include pushing for policies that simplify access to funding and resources for young entrepreneurs.

Third, our focus on Education and Capacity Building is essential for equipping young creatives with the necessary skills and knowledge. The ACA will collaborate with educational and institutions and hubs to develop tailored training programs that address industry demands, from technical skills in various creative disciplines to entrepreneurship and business management. These programs will empower young individuals to turn their creative talents into sustainable careers.

Lastly, through Investment and Infrastructure Facilitation, we will work to improve access to creative-friendly investment vehicles, tools and facilities that young creatives need to build and scale sustainable enterprises.

By implementing these strategies, we hope to create a vibrant and supportive environment for young creatives. Our goal is to empower them not only to pursue their artistic passions but also to become key contributors to the economic growth and cultural richness of their communities. Engaging young creatives is not just an investment in their future; it is an investment in the future of Africa’s creative economy as a whole.

Capital: What are the main challenges currently facing the cultural and creative sectors in Africa, and how does the ACA aim to address them?

Rita Ngenzi: The cultural and creative sectors in Africa face several significant challenges that hinder their growth and potential contributions to the economy. We aim to address these challenges through targeted strategies.

1. Data Gaps and Management Challenges

One of the primary issues is the lack of coordinated and accessible data across the continent. Only eight out of fifty-four African countries participated in UNCTAD’s creative economy outlook survey in 2023, highlighting a critical gap in data collection and management. The ACA plans to tackle this by establishing a pan-African platform that will serve as a centralized repository for culture and creative industry-related data. This platform will be designed from a market-oriented and development perspective, making it a valuable resource for policymakers, investors, and practitioners. By improving data management and dissemination, we aim to empower stakeholders to make informed decisions that bridge existing ecosystem gaps.

2. Ecosystem Fragmentation

Despite the immense potential of Africa’s cultural and creative industries, the current ecosystems are often fragmented and underdeveloped. The ACA’s initial positioning study has identified key areas for focused intervention, including the need for effective policies and regulations that enable market access for cultural and creative subsectors. We will advocate for policies that support the growth of creative industries at national and regional levels, ensuring that these sectors can contribute more significantly to national GDPs.

3. Capacity Building and Professional Development

A major challenge is the insufficient capacity-building support available to professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs within the cultural and creative sectors. The ACA will enhance education and capacity-building initiatives by collaborating with hubs, incubators, and accelerators to provide targeted training programs. These programs will focus on critical areas such as entrepreneurship, management, and strategic partnership development. By equipping individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge, we aim to foster a more robust creative workforce capable of driving economic growth.

4. Building Trust and Investment Traction

There is often a lack of trust and traction between investors and creative entrepreneurs, which impedes large-scale investments in the sector. The ACA will work towards establishing a trusted label based on jointly set criteria to facilitate better relationships between investors and incubators. By creating this framework, we aim to streamline the investment process, enabling efficient channelling of resources to entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries.

5. Addressing Managerial and Administrative Needs

Managerial elements, including funding and financing, are often underdeveloped in the creative sectors. The ACA will focus on enhancing the managerial capabilities of creative entrepreneurs by providing resources and training on funding strategies, financial management, and administrative processes. This holistic approach will ensure that entrepreneurs are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of the creative economy.

Through these strategic initiatives, the ACA aims to create a more enabling environment for the cultural and creative sectors, addressing the challenges that currently impede their growth and ensuring that they can contribute meaningfully to Africa’s socio-economic transformation.

Capital: Can you share examples of best practices from other regions that the ACA plans to adopt to foster growth in Africa’s creative economy?

Rita Ngenzi: Regions like Europe have seen significant success through the establishment of creative hubs and incubators that provide essential support for emerging artists and entrepreneurs. For instance, the Creative Business Cup in Denmark.

In countries like Singapore, public-private partnerships have been instrumental in promoting the creative sector. The Infocom Media Development Authority collaborates with private companies to drive innovation and digital transformation in the creative industries. The ACA aims to foster similar collaborations across Africa, leveraging the strengths of both the public and private sectors to create a supportive ecosystem for creative entrepreneurs. Canada has implemented cultural policies that recognize the value of creative industries and provide funding, training, and resources to artists and entrepreneurs. The Canadian Council for the Arts supports various initiatives to promote cultural expression and accessibility. The United States has seen a rise in digital platforms that facilitate collaboration and innovation within the creative sectors, such as Kickstarter for funding creative projects and Behance for showcasing portfolios. These are just some examples of best practices to build on.

Capital: How will the ACA measure the success and impact of its initiatives on the cultural and creative industries in Africa?

Rita Ngenzi: We will measure the success and impact of our initiatives on the cultural and creative industries in Africa through a comprehensive framework that combines quantitative metrics, qualitative assessments, and ecosystem analysis. Key strategies include tracking job creation, economic contributions, and investment levels while gathering stakeholder feedback and documenting success stories.

Capital: What strategies will the ACA employ to ensure that the cultural and creative sectors are integrated into broader economic and development policies?

Rita Ngenzi: We will employ several strategies to ensure that the cultural and creative sectors are integrated into broader economic and development policies. First, engaging in evidence-based advocacy, utilizing data and research to demonstrate the economic value and potential of the creative industries to policymakers. By showcasing success stories and case studies, we aim to highlight the impact of cultural and creative sectors on job creation, GDP growth, and community development.

Second, we will work to build strategic partnerships with government agencies, development organizations, and private sector stakeholders to foster collaboration and alignment on policy objectives. This includes participating in national and regional policy dialogues and forums where creative industry issues can be addressed.

Lastly, a focus on capacity building for policymakers to enhance their understanding of the cultural and creative sectors and how they can contribute to national development goals. This may include workshops, seminars, and tailored training programs for government officials.

Capital: Looking ahead, what are the key milestones you hope to achieve with the ACA in the next five years?

Rita Ngenzi: Looking ahead, we hope to achieve several key milestones over the next five years that will drive job creation and foster a vibrant creative economy across the continent. Firstly, establish a robust network of bankable creative hubs and incubators, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among our members to strengthen the ecosystem. Additionally, catalyze significant investment in the cultural and creative sectors while actively influencing national and regional policies to enhance the regulatory framework for these industries. We are dedicated to empowering young creatives, stimulating economic growth, and positioning the cultural and creative sectors as vital contributors to Africa’s socio-economic development.