Africa Creative Market (ACM) is set to return for its fourth edition, with this year’s event promising to strengthen the bridge between Africa’s creative talent and global economic opportunities. Scheduled to take place from September 16 to 19, 2025, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, the gathering will run under the theme “Creative Bridge” a call to align Africa’s cultural energy with international markets.
The organiser, Ascend Studios Foundation, says the 2025 edition aims to deepen the continent’s creative influence by empowering creatives to move beyond expression into enterprise. This strategic focus will target stronger industry linkages, investor engagement, and global visibility for African innovators across multiple creative sectors.
Having established itself as a pan-African hub for creative commerce, ACM now spans industries such as film, music, fashion, technology, photography, gaming, art, dance, and sports. Its convener and President of Ascend Studios Foundation, Inya Lawal, explained that this year’s theme reflects a deliberate effort to connect talent to trade.
“Creative Bridge is more than a theme; it’s a blueprint for Africa’s creative future. We are intentionally connecting the dots between creativity and commerce, ensuring our talent has access to the tools, funding, and networks they need to compete globally,” Lawal said in a statement.
Building on the success of ACM 2024, which explored how technology is transforming Africa’s creative industries, this year’s event will place even greater emphasis on export readiness, data-driven growth, investment matchmaking, and regional and international partnerships.
ACM 2025 will feature a packed agenda that includes investor roundtables, industry forums, masterclasses, exhibitions, and networking sessions designed to attract creatives, cultural entrepreneurs, business leaders, and policymakers from across the continent.
The event is also expected to draw top international voices, buyers, and collaborators from creative powerhouses such as the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and South Korea—nations that have shown rising interest in Africa’s fast-growing creative economy.
Organisers say ACM 2025 is not just about showcasing talent, but about giving African creators the platform to become global producers, co-creators, and intellectual property owners. The market will spotlight scalable African ideas, nurture co-production agreements, and promote sustainable development through cultural entrepreneurship.
As Africa’s creative industries continue to gain traction globally, this year’s Africa Creative Market stands as a defining moment to reposition African creatives as key players in the global creative economy not merely contributors of content, but builders of commerce.
