By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, has partnered with Gebeya, a pan-African technology company, to launch the 2026 CANEX Create-thon, a $50,000 competition aimed at empowering African creators in music, video and gaming.
The initiative, announced on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt, is designed to equip African creatives with digital tools, technical support, funding and global exposure to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable projects.
The competition, which is open to amateur, emerging and established creators across the continent, will bring together musicians, filmmakers, storytellers, game developers and other creative professionals to compete in three categories—music, video and gaming.
Participants will take part in a four-day creation sprint scheduled for August 20 to 24, 2026, during which they will receive access to Gebeya’s Dala Studio platform, computing resources and technical mentorship to develop working prototypes or completed creative projects.
Speaking on the initiative, Director of Creatives and Diaspora at Afreximbank, Temwa Gondwe, said the programme seeks to address the longstanding challenges of limited financing and inadequate access to digital production tools confronting African creators.
He noted that while African creatives have gained global visibility, many have yet to capture the full commercial value of their work due to insufficient technological and financial support.
According to him, the CANEX Create-thon will help creators transform innovative ideas into sustainable businesses while strengthening Africa’s competitiveness in regional and international creative markets.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gebeya, Amadou Daffe, said Africa’s creative industries are experiencing rapid commercial growth, citing rising music revenues, an expanding gaming market and Nigeria’s thriving film industry.
He, however, observed that many creators still lack the technology and production infrastructure required to maximise their potential, adding that the partnership would place practical digital tools directly in the hands of African innovators.
The competition offers prizes in each of the three categories, with first-place winners receiving $7,000, second-place winners $3,500, and third-place winners $1,500. Additional qualifying finalists will receive awards of $500, subject to the competition guidelines.
Entries will undergo technology-assisted screening before progressing to a public voting stage that will determine the top 100 projects. An expert panel comprising professionals from the creative, technology and business sectors will then select the final winners.
The overall winners in each category will also earn the opportunity to attend CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled to hold at the National Theatre, Lagos, from November 5 to 8, 2026, where they will engage with investors, policymakers, industry leaders and other stakeholders in Africa’s creative economy.
According to Afreximbank, the CANEX Create-thon forms part of its broader strategy to commercialise Africa’s creative and cultural industries while creating a sustainable model for discovering and nurturing creative technology talent across the continent.
Registration for the competition opens on July 30 and closes on August 19, 2026. Creators are expected to register online and comply with the competition’s eligibility, intellectual property and submission requirements.
