Nigerian Entertainment Conference reveals new global format

Now in its 10th year, the event has, over the years it has provided a platform for conversations and interventions for the industry, hosting 11 events that have drawn more than 100 000 participants and reaching an audience of over 100 million in more than 30 countries.

The conference, the brainchild of ID Africa and traditionally featuring talks, performances and workshops, will now be presented by Africa Creative Foundation, an invite-only membership-based organisation to be launched this summer. Forthcoming editions of the conference, whose previous speakers have included artists like Tiwa Savage, Simi, Banky W and DJ Cuppy, will take place simultaneously in other parts of Nigeria as well as in key cities across Africa, Europe, and America.

“When we conceived the idea for an annual conference 10 years ago, it was out of frustration…about lack of education, about piracy, about lack of platforms and access and opportunities for entertainment practitioners to monetise their talent at scale,” NECLive founder Ayeni Adekunle said. “Today, most of those problems have largely been solved. But we are now faced with even bigger problems and opportunities. And I believe that it’s time to begin the work of making sure Africa’s creators and everyone else in the value chain, including our communities, get the maximum possible value from our contribution to and growing participation in the global entertainment marketplace.”

Starting next year, the new NECLive will be held over the course of a month, from April to May, beginning with a flagship event in Lagos, and running through Nigerian cities like Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Ibadan, as well as other key African cities like Nairobi (Kenya), Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa), and global stops like London, Edinburgh, Atlanta and New York.

These changes, according to Adekunle, are “a matter of necessity, given where the industry is today; and in line with the new challenges and opportunities on the horizon.”

“The industry has changed a lot since we kicked off NECLive in 2013 and having realised that most of the frustrations that led us to found NECLive have since been solved, I believe it’s now time to face new, bigger battles,” Adekunle said.