With AI Animation Hub, 90-Day Live Stress Test Launched in Ijora Badia

Yinka Olatunbosun

A recent visit to Ijora Badia, an underserved community in Lagos was quite an eye-opener. A maze of submerged buildings led to a shelter made of recycled PET bottles. Inside it, young children clad in colourful uniforms were making collages from paper scraps. It turned out to be a visual tease before the main event which was the grand opening of a Tier-3 AI Animation hub.

The hub births a new chapter in global storytelling which doubles as a young empowerment centre for young primary school age children. The first animation training was first conducted in 2022 and has buoyed up a generation of spirited young artists who are rising above prevailing circumstances to showcase their artistic as well as tech skills.
On February 26, 2026, Adetunwase Adenle, the founder of Slum Art and Animation Hub, officially opens Africa’s first Tier-3 AI Animation Studio and AI Factory — launching a three-month live stress test designed to demonstrate, refine, and scale what is positioned to become the world’s first fully automated AI Television (AI TV) platform.
The event, which attracted community leaders, partner institutions, investors and media personnel, was created out of the need to train young ones in less privileged communities to develop 21st century skills that can transform their lives positively.

For 90 days, the studio doors will remain open to the public to experience firsthand how AI-powered storytelling is built from concept to broadcast.
Located in the heart of Ijora Badia, the facility is the first animation studio globally constructed using recycled PET bottles, transforming plastic waste into structural innovation and climate-conscious infrastructure.
By embedding circular economy principles into a high-performance AI production environment, the project proves that sustainability and advanced technology can be complementary.
This opening of the AI Animation hub marks the beginning of a structured three-month stress test designed to validate infrastructure durability and energy sustainability; test real-time AI animation generation pipelines; measure production scalability under live conditions and refine collaborative AI storytelling workflows.

As global leaders such as The Walt Disney Company explore AI-driven narrative ecosystems, and companies like OpenAI advance foundational large language models reshaping creative industries, Nigeria is building sovereign infrastructure to ensure African participation extends beyond talent supply — to platform ownership.
The flagship production, The Nigeria Story, aims to unite up to one million contributors in what is projected to become the largest collaborative animation project in history — a Guinness World Record attempt anchored in mass participation and digital inclusion.
Through the dawn to dusk Slum Art school and Animation Hub, over 10,000 children across Lagos have already been trained in AI-assisted storytelling and animation during the pilot phase — validating youth adoption, operational feasibility, and training scalability.
The AI Factory becomes the next level in the community-driven educational ecosystem towards a monetisable industrial production engine positioned for global distribution. One million pre-ready AI storytellers are being mobilised for the next phase from this community thus changing the negative stereotypes largely associated with underprivileged communities. Inspired by blockbuster movies such as Eyes of Wakanda, The Lion King and Madagascar, the hub is set to breed a new crop of creatives whose voices need to be heard globally.

This story will be incomplete without the support of World Connect, whose funding enabled the physical construction of the AI Animation Factory. Their backing transforms recycled plastic into opportunity.
Also on the list of sponsors is First City Monument Bank (FCMB), whose counterpart funding support since 2019 positions this initiative as a Flagship 2026 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project. According to Omoniyi Iyanda, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at FCMB, “This initiative reflects our commitment to inclusive innovation, environmental responsibility, and long-term economic empowerment. By supporting AI infrastructure in underserved communities, we are investing in sustainable impact with global relevance.”
“We are building young people with skills needed for the future and to transform lives. It is education that transforms people’s lives and makes people see how to escape poverty and see opportunities around them. Education opens the minds. FCMB believes in building people and impacting communities and that is why you see us going into communities. This is another leap in the right direction.”
FCMB’s partnership signals a shift from charity-driven CSR to capability-driven nation building — accelerating AI literacy among Nigerians in 2026 and beyond.
This 90-day stress test is both a celebration and a proof of capacity.
Adetunwase Adenle describes the moment as a transition from vision to validation:
“We are not asking the world to believe us. We are inviting the world to test us.”
The stress test runs for 90 days beginning February 26.