Every industry thrives on the pioneering efforts of thought leaders who envisioned an upward trajectory and created the means to realise it. Africa’s creative industry is no exception. Before now, budding creatives had to prioritise establishing a strong foothold in cities with expansive creative economies like Lagos, Kigali, and Accra to make a name out of their crafts by leveraging the structures and vibrant audiences these cities offered. However, the adoption of technology and the establishment of some modern-day creative-focused initiatives has revolutionised the industry. Today, emerging talents are closer to their audiences, and provided with diverse earning opportunities that are not geographically bound.

Africa’s creative sector has since been flourishing, driven by innovation, empowerment, and economic sustainability. The synergy between tech and creativity has given rise to key platforms and initiatives, some of which are discussed below.

Top Tech-Driven Catalysts of Africa’s Creative Renaissance

Selar 

Founded in 2016 by Kendyson Douglas, Selar is a Shopify-like platform where digital creators and entrepreneurs of all kinds can market and sell a diverse range of content, products, and services to anyone, anywhere in the world. 

Over the past eight years, Selar has grown into the largest all-in-one creator platform in Africa, with over one million users registered. It also allows creators who do not sell digital products to receive tips and donations from their followers through its “Show Love” feature. 

Although Selar is headquartered in Nigeria, creators from Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Francophone African countries also use the platform. It facilitates transactions in six different currencies, accommodating users in Naira, Dollars, Pounds, Cedis, Kenyan Shillings, and Rands.

Style House Files

With a primary focus on fashion and the promotion of Africa’s textile and apparel industry, Style House Files (SHF) is a fashion business development agency with services and initiatives designed to spearhead change in the continent’s fashion industry. Its talent discovery initiative, Fashion Focus Africa, in partnership with the British Council, is dedicated to the growth and promotion of creatives in the fashion industry by providing grants and ownership to women-owned fashion entrepreneurs to scale up. 

Additionally SHF, through its 13-year-old leading initiative—Lagos Fashion Week—has gradually repositioned fashion as a useful tool for commerce and creativity in Nigeria, building a community that can project the African fashion industry on the global stage.

AltSchool

AltSchool might be widely known as a technical skill-centered academy, but the skill-to-market ed-tech platform has expanded its learning faculty to introduce the Creative Economy School, with a focus on Content Mastery and Music Business. 

Launched in September 2023, the Creative Economy School has since been bridging the talent gap in Africa’s creative industry. Its students undergo a six-week learning program, taking relevant courses and receiving mentorship from industry leaders.

Mdundo

Africa-focused music streaming service Mdundo offers a free music download platform that helps emerging and established African musicians distribute their music more effectively while providing a viable revenue stream. Mdundo’s clear and equitable royalty disbursement methods ensure legitimacy and sustainable income within the music sector.

As of 2023, approximately 156,000 African artists have benefited from Mdundo’s innovative payment system. Artists from East and West Africa account for Mdundo’s highest earnings on the continent.

Africa No Filter

Africa No Filter (AFN) is a non-profit organisation committed to dismantling the stereotypical and harmful narratives often associated with Africa. To achieve this, AFN, through funding, mentorship, and capacity-building programs, empowers storytellers, artists, and creators across the continent to produce nuanced and impactful stories/ content aimed at reshaping global perceptions of Africa.

Livespot360

Livespot360 is Nigeria’s leading creative solutions company, known for transforming visionary ideas into compelling experiences. s. Founded by Deola Art Alade in 2016, the company also offers services across media and advertising, experiential marketing, audio/visual production, digital marketing, and tech innovation. One of its standout initiatives is Entertainment Week Lagos (EWL), launched in 2022. 

This week-long, annual event is designed to empower the next generation of creative and entertainment stars across the music, film, fashion, and tech sectors by providing practical knowledge and skills through masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions led by industry professionals, positioning Livespot360 as a key driver in Africa’s burgeoning creative industry.