Making Africa’s Creative Sector Bankable {Business Africa}
African artists are no longer just cultural ambassadors—they are global economic players. From topping international music charts to influencing fashion and film worldwide, Africa’s creative talent is commanding unprecedented attention. Yet for years, this cultural power has struggled to translate into sustainable income and access to finance.
That may be changing.
New policy momentum, including recent G20 declarations and landmark legal reforms in Nigeria, is laying the groundwork for a more robust creative economy. At the heart of these reforms is a critical shift: recognising intellectual property—music catalogues, film rights, publishing and brand equity—as bankable assets.
By enabling creators to use their intellectual property as collateral, policymakers hope to unlock financing, attract institutional investment and ensure long-term sustainability for artists and creative entrepreneurs.
Creative industry expert Audu Maikori notes that while progress is being made, significant challenges remain. Africa’s more than 50 legal systems complicate the prospect of a unified copyright framework, raising questions about whether regional approaches may offer better protection for creators. At the same time, African artists continue to face risks when signing international contracts, often lacking the legal safeguards needed to protect their rights and revenues.
Beyond policy reform, experts argue that practical solutions—such as better contract literacy, stronger collective management organisations and access to legal and financial advisory services—will be essential to ensure creators can monetise their work over the long term.
While creativity is unlocking new economic frontiers, Africa’s cities are grappling with the cost of rapid urban growth.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital and home to around six million people, is expanding at breakneck speed—but its transport infrastructure is struggling to keep pace. Despite the government’s decision to relocate most official functions to the political capital, Dodoma, traffic congestion in Dar es Salaam continues to intensify, draining productivity and raising business costs.
According to the World Bank, the city is on track to become a megacity, with a population exceeding ten million in the coming years. Without major investment in transport systems, urban planning and congestion management, the economic strain could deepen—affecting trade, labour mobility and overall competitiveness.
As Isaac Lukando reports for Africanews, the challenge facing Dar es Salaam is emblematic of a broader continental issue: how to build cities that can sustain growth without stalling under their own weight.