Creative Industry: The Road Ahead

What will the creative industry look like in 2026? Key industry players share their insights and predictions on critical issues, suggesting a decisive shift from the conventional, as creativity and technology interweave with policy and infrastructure to reshape the industry. Vanessa Obioha reports

Infrastructure, Capital and Policy Coherence

I believe that in 2026, the real questions surrounding growth in the broader creative economy will centre on the three important pillars of infrastructure, capital, and policy coherence.

We need a deliberate national strategy to develop experiential, built-for-purpose, high-capacity cultural infrastructure across key cities in Nigeria. Rebuilding the National Theatre is a start. Now we need theatres, concert halls, exhibition and event spaces of the same magnitude in places like Port Harcourt, Calabar, Kano, Enugu, Uyo, Kaduna, etc. A Burna Boy, Davido, or Asake concert tour in Nigeria is still a practical impossibility because the performance spaces that can take large audiences and trigger business for the hospitality industry in these places are nonexistent. Now that we have a pool of proven talent in music, film and theatre, the infrastructure to facilitate their engagement with audiences across the country is our critical next step. These are economic enablers, not vanity projects, and will only scale through clear public–private partnership frameworks. I am aware that the Ministry of the Creative Economy announced an infrastructure development plan a couple of years ago. I am hopeful that 2026 will be the year we begin to see those plans become a reality. 

On the digital side, indigenous streaming platforms remain critical, not as replicas of Netflix, Disney, YouTube or any of the global players, but as culturally focused businesses that protect African IP, serve regional and diaspora markets, and adopt diversified revenue models beyond subscriptions.

Most urgently, the industry needs a stronger business support and regulatory framework. With the new tax system the federal government has designed, creative SMEs and production companies risk being constrained too early. A time-bound, incentive-led, tax-free incubation window for creative SMEs is essential if we want formalisation, growth, job creation, and long-term tax contribution. 2026 can be a pivotal year for our creative economy. If we can just get the foundational support systems right, the creativity will do the rest.

Femi Odugbemi

Filmmaker and Voting Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Animation, AI and Gaming 

The year 2026 will be a blast! The signs are everywhere in plain sight. 

In the animation space to begin with, for instance, major projects like ‘Secrets of the Multiverse,’ which took off in 2025, point to what lies ahead: many more projects, and quite daring ones at that.

Expect to see a major shift in the business of creativity, especially with the prospects of the Creative Economic Development Fund (CEDF) now in play. The same would apply to traditional Nollywood films. 

There’s bound to be bigger leaps and stronger collaborations in the first two quarters, which might not circulate in the mainstream media initially. With a more stable economy, the third quarter might witness major milestones and earth-rattling announcements. 

The gaming industry won’t be left out as it’s expected to gain significant traction.

And with the advent of AI, we are likely to see many remarkable attempts at filmmaking, feature-length projects particularly, with AI increasingly used as a standard tool in the creative process. Who knows? We might just see one in cinemas in 2026.

Finally, the last quarter of 2026 is bound to be very loud across the creative space, steering into an even more adventurous 2027.

Blessing Amidu

Animation Filmmaker

Revenue Growth, Afrofuturism and Eco-conscious Music 

In 2026, expect to see more global hits from regional genres like Afrobeats, with artists like Fimi, oSH AMO, and Zaylevelten pushing creative boundaries.

The industry’s worth is projected to surpass N1.5 trillion ($1 billion) by 2033, driven by live performances (65.7% of revenue) and streaming royalties (30.1%). 

Key trends to watch include the continued dominance of Afrobeats, with artists like Burna Boy, Tems, and Davido winning international awards.

AI integration is also expected to rise, streamlining music production, mixing, and mastering, and democratizing access for independent artists.

As climate change remains a pressing global concern, eco-conscious music practices are projected to gain traction. From solar-powered stages and carbon-offset concerts to biodegradable merch, sustainability is becoming an integral part of how music is produced, performed, and consumed.

Afrofuturism is also set to take centre stage, as artists increasingly blend traditional African instrumentation with electronic production.

Pretty Okafor 

PMAN President

Job Creation, FOREX and Sustained Enterprise 

Nigeria’s creative economy is moving into a harder, more serious phase. The next chapter will not be judged by buzz, premieres, or celebrity, but by jobs created, forex earned, and enterprises sustained. Inflation, FX pressure, and youth unemployment will force every sector to justify itself in measurable economic terms.

What many miss is that the creative economy is already embedded in Nigeria’s strongest GDP engines. Information and Communication contributes over 14% of nominal GDP, while Arts, Entertainment and Recreation recorded nearly 46% year-on-year growth in 2024. The question is no longer whether creativity matters, but whether we can industrialise it.

The shift ahead is clear: from celebrity-led to infrastructure-led. The winners will not only be those who produce hits, but those who build pipelines; skills, studios, post-production, IP protection, financing, and distribution.

“Culture creates attention. Infrastructure creates wealth.”

By 2026, the most valuable currency in the creative sector will be production reliability; speed, quality assurance, and predictable delivery across animation, post-production, VFX, sound, and virtual production. This is the difference between creative brands and creative industries.

AI will not replace Nigerian creators; it will replace undisciplined workflows. Studios that adopt AI for pre-visualisation, localisation, editing assistance, and asset management will cut costs and scale output.

“AI doesn’t kill creativity. It punishes chaos.”

Animation and post-production will quietly become Nigeria’s strongest export formats, because they travel across languages and cultures better than live action, if craft and standards are industrialised. Distribution will fragment further, but that fragmentation creates leverage: Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels, YouTube ecosystems, telco bundles, diaspora platforms, and regional broadcasters will open new monetisation lanes beyond traditional streamers.

Capital, however, will grow stricter. Financing will become structured, not romantic. Investors will demand governance, escrow discipline, completion guarantees, and clear revenue waterfalls.

“Capital follows structure, not sentiment.”

IP ownership will be the central battlefield. Creators who lack legal and commercial architecture will lose their upside, no matter how viral their work becomes.

At the same time, states will increasingly deploy the creative economy as an investment tool; jobs, tourism, urban renewal, and national identity, but only where security, permitting, and incentives are credible.

The true breakout advantage is talent industrialisation: scaled training tied directly to real production demand, not isolated masterclasses. This is how Nigeria can become Africa’s creative services backbone: the place where African stories are finished, packaged, and exported to the world.

“Nigeria has proven it can create culture. The next test is whether it can manufacture creative value at scale.”

That is the work ahead, and it is a systems problem, not a popularity contest.

Linus Idahosa

Creative Entrepreneur and Founder, Del-York Group 

Micro-Drama Genre, Tax Incentives and Rebates

One of the key trends I see for 2026 is the introduction of the micro-drama genre and format in the content space. Even if it doesn’t necessarily take off significantly in 2026, I believe its introduction in Nigeria and across Africa is likely to happen in the coming months.

I really believe that it is going to be the next big thing. Which, if it does take off, will create a new space for both writers behind and in front of the camera because it is a completely different new skill set to be able to write and shoot micro-drama effectively, the way the Chinese have been able to utilise that format.

Hopefully, it will also begin to lay the foundation for more high-end crossover content. That possibility, however, depends on whether platforms like Canal+ in Africa are willing to invest more in high-quality content that perhaps can travel across regions and borders.  But that’s speculative; they have to say that it’s something they are willing to do. 

Perhaps the change in ownership might bring a certain level of change in the kind of content coming out of Africa, if it also charts a new direction. Otherwise, there is little point in a change of ownership if there is no corresponding change in direction, content quality, and the opening up of new markets. That remains a hope.

YouTube as a content space will continue to grow, not just globally but particularly here in Nigeria and Africa.

My hope for 2026 really is that we’ll see more government fiscal policies that help to aid the creative industry in Nigeria, to see how it is seen as part of the trade mix, and we can start having discussions like tax incentives and rebates to help it grow.

Fabian Adeoye Lojede 

Actor, Filmmaker and Creative Entrepreneur