Yesterday built it.Today runs it.Tomorrow inherits it.
Two Days In Abuja Where Africa’s Creative Pioneers, Operators And Emerging Voices Sit On The Same Panel, Trading Lessons, Capital And Opportunity Across Generations.
About ACT-P
Africa’s Creative Trade Pavilion
MADEFest’s flagship trade, networking and business platform, now a standalone two-day continental gathering at the Afreximbank Africa Trade Centre, Abuja. Creatives, policymakers, investors, development institutions and emerging talent in one room, around one agenda: the future of Africa’s creative economy.
Its defining idea is Fusion of Eras — every session puts a legacy voice, a currently-scaling operator and an emerging voice in direct conversation.
The philosophy
Fusion of Eras
Industry time travel: lessons from yesterday, realities of today, futures for tomorrow’s youth. No other gathering is built to put three generations of the creative economy on the same panel at this scale.
01
Yesterday
Pioneers & veterans
The people whose work laid the foundations of today's creative sectors, sharing the lessons that still hold.
02
Today
Operators & leaders
The ones building and scaling inside the space right now, on the realities of running creative enterprise.
03
Tomorrow
Emerging voices
Youth-facing innovators shaping what comes next, with direct access to the leaders and capital they need.
10 – 11 December 2026 · Afreximbank Africa Trade Centre, Abuja
Sectors
23 sectors represented
ACT-P deliberately convenes every major sector of the creative economy, from music, film and fashion to gaming, finance and IP. The breadth is the point: the room is where trade happens between them.
Proof — MADEFest 2025
It alreadyworks
The Creative Trade Pavilion was piloted at MADEFest 2025 to bridge creativity, enterprise, policy and investment. What began as an experimental knowledge and networking platform became one of the most attended and discussed segments of the festival — and the case for ACT-P 2026 as a standalone continental gathering.
- Ecosystem
- Creatives, government, investors and development partners in one room, on one agenda.
- Knowledge
- Veterans and emerging talent in direct exchange, validating the Fusion of Eras idea.
- Business
- New partnerships, mentorship and collaborations that started on the Pavilion floor.
Programme — 10–11 December 2026
Industrytime travel
Lessons from yesterday, realities of today, futures for tomorrow’s youth. Two days, each anchored by its own theme — keynotes, panels, mentorship circles, exhibitions and structured networking and trade sessions.
10 Dec 2026
Day
01
The Business of Creativity
- 01
Content Is Currency: Comedy, Culinary Creation & the Business of the Written Word
Comedy, culinary content, digital writing and the business of content creation across formats.
- 02
Creativity Meets Technology
AI, digital distribution, music streaming, gaming, creative commerce, Web3.
- 03
Building African Brands
Music, fashion, film, branding and export opportunities — from local talent to global creative enterprise.
- 04
Creative Cities
Architecture, interior design, culture and the future of African cities.
11 Dec 2026
Day
02
Trade, Investment, Policy & the Future
- 01
Capital Meets Policy: Financing and Governing Africa's Creative Economy
Creative finance, investment, venture capital, export financing, government incentives, IP and regulation.
- 02
Women Shaping Africa's Creative Future
Leadership, creative entrepreneurship, investment, innovation, mentorship and global opportunities.
- 03
Beyond Entertainment
Nightlife, Detty December, tourism and Africa's experience economy.
Venue
Afreximbank Africa Trade Centre
AATC, Abuja — delivered in strategic partnership with the Centre.
Dates
10 – 11 December 2026
Two days, 150–200 registered delegates daily.
Two days, both themes, one pass.
Speakers — 2026
Announcedsoon
The 2026 line-up is being confirmed across all three eras — the pioneers who built Africa’s creative sectors, the operators scaling them now, and the voices shaping what comes next. Leave your email and hear first.
- YesterdayTBASeat 1, Yesterday era, to be announced
- TodayTBASeat 2, Today era, to be announced
- TomorrowTBASeat 3, Tomorrow era, to be announced
- YesterdayTBASeat 4, Yesterday era, to be announced
- TodayTBASeat 5, Today era, to be announced
- TomorrowTBASeat 6, Tomorrow era, to be announced
- YesterdayTBASeat 7, Yesterday era, to be announced
- TodayTBASeat 8, Today era, to be announced