The debut edition of Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) concluded its first-ever run with remarkable energy, drawing together thousands of creators, industry executives, policymakers, investors and thought leaders for a six-day, multi-venue cultural and creative-economy festival in Lagos. With events spread across Livespot Entertarium, Eko Hotel, EbonyLife Place, Alliance Française and Heritage Place, the inaugural festival established Lagos as an emerging global powerhouse for creativity, innovation and cross-continental collaboration. Below is a full recap of the groundbreaking first edition.
EWA 2025 attracted 28,683 participants from more than eight countries and over fifty industries. The multi-venue format featured five major hubs and included 150+ speakers, 61 sessions, 93 film screenings, 20 music showcases, nine fashion exhibitions, nine tech startups in the Deal Room, 10 Hackathon teams, and numerous partnerships across the music and content markets, including global labels such as Empire and Virgin Music. The festival also generated over 5 million online engagements and reached 800 million+ digital impressions across Africa, Europe, North America and Asia.
The festival drew an impressive list of high-profile visitors, including Minister of Trade and Investment Jumoke Oduwole, British Deputy High Commissioner Johnny Baxter, First Lady of Kwara State Olufolake Abdulrazaq, and entertainment icons such as Tiwa Savage, Don Jazzy, Sasha P, Yemi Alade and Waje. The Lagos State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism called the event “a demonstration of what becomes possible when diverse creative voices unite with purpose.”
Running from 18–23 November, Entertainment Week Africa welcomed attendees from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, the UK and beyond. The highest number of participants came from sectors such as entertainment, advertising, music, filmmaking, technology, business consulting, marketing, design, and communications—highlighting EWA’s influence across multiple creative and commercial industries.
The 2025 theme, “Close the Gap,” acted as a unifying call to action, encouraging collaboration between talent, capital, policymakers and platforms. Tiwa Medubi, Managing Director of Livespot360, emphasized that the goal was not theoretical collaboration but real-time, practical connection.
“This year, we brought talent, capital, policy and platforms into the same room—literally,” she said.
“The gap between potential and reality is closing because people are actively building the future.”
Opening Night welcomed key dignitaries including British Deputy High Commissioner Johnny Baxter, who noted the diplomatic and economic importance of EWA, saying it represents “a week of celebration, partnership and progress” and strengthens ties between Nigeria and the UK.
Throughout the week, EWA delivered more than 35 panel discussions, 22 workshops, 20 masterclasses, and nearly a hundred film screenings. Topics ranged from emerging technologies and youth culture to distribution, creative careers and cross-border mobility. Attendees engaged with platforms like the Creator Hub, Creative Job Fair, Gen Z Republic and the EWA Creative Marketplace. Popular film screenings included Chronicles of Afrobeat, The Herd, Dust to Dream, and Mama Nike & Magazine Dreams, often accompanied by packed director Q&A sessions.
A major highlight was the Story Lab, an intensive four-day writers’ workshop facilitated by Lani Aisida, Nicole Asinugo and Dami Elebe, with support from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Africa Magic and NdaniTV. Out of dozens of applicants, 15 writers were shortlisted and 8 finalists developed six strong, pitch-ready story concepts.
The Deal Room showcased the theme “Close the Gap” in action. With over 178 entries, nine startups advanced to the accelerator stage. Four—Aktivate, FriendnPal, Growwr and Sports Reels—were identified as investor-ready. Many founders achieved milestone experiences, including pitching before investors for the first time. In parallel, the Hackathon promoted rapid innovation, leading to standout projects from Musetter, Owambe and Alaba. Investment partners included Future Africa, Catalyst Fund, Consonance Invest and Askya Investment Partners.
A pivotal gender-equity panel featured Yemi Alade, Waje, Tiwa Savage, Teni, Sasha P and Qing Madi, who addressed the steep imbalance in representation across the industry.
“Only one female song sits in Nigeria’s top 100—this gap is too wide,” one panelist noted.
Don Jazzy added: “The industry is too masculine, and it affects everything—from airplay to club rotation.”
Fashion also shone brightly at EWA 2025, with more than 120 submissions and 10 emerging designers presenting at the Runway Coterie. Designers such as Korede James, Nex by Necca, Estaz, Sevon Dejana, David Black and PK Crochet showcased modern, compelling expressions of African fashion.
The festival also celebrated culture and comedy with the Jokes & Jollof showcase, where Big Spoon 2025 winner Lucky Chidiebere Obi took home a ₦1 million prize and announced his future tour with Basketmouth.
EWA 2025 was powered by a robust network of partners including Livespot, Pepsi, Heineken, MTN, TikTok, the British High Commission, Multichoice, Amazon Prime, Netflix, ONErpm, Vuga Music, and major media outlets such as Rollingstone Africa, TechCabal, BellaNaija, Trace and Culture Custodian.
Founder Deola Art Alade expressed pride in the festival’s impact:
“Our ambition is for Entertainment Week Africa to become a vital cultural, economic and intellectual force in Lagos. This first edition was an incredible beginning.”
Entertainment Week Africa returns 17–22 November 2026, continuing with the theme “Closing the Gap” and expanding its pan-African vision to accelerate the continent’s creative-industry growth.
