Afreximbank launches $50,000 create-thon to unlock Africa’s creative economy
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in partnership with pan-African technology company Gebeya, has launched the CANEX Create-thon 2026, a continent-wide initiative aimed at accelerating Africa’s creative economy by equipping artists, filmmakers, musicians and game developers with funding, digital tools and technical support.
The initiative, unveiled under Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, is open to creators from all African countries and offers a $50,000 prize pool to support the development of commercially viable projects in music, video and gaming.
The bank said the programme is designed to help African creators transform innovative ideas into market-ready products while strengthening the continent’s position in the global creative economy.
Unlike conventional competitions that focus on pitching ideas, participants will be required to build working prototypes or complete creative projects during a four-day creation sprint scheduled for August 20–24, 2026, using Gebeya’s Dala Studio platform and dedicated computing resources.
Speaking on the initiative, Director of Creatives and Diaspora at Afreximbank, Temwa Gondwe, said Africa possesses abundant creative talent but continues to face significant barriers to commercial growth.
“Africa’s creators are visible and have the digital talent but have often lacked the financial backing and access to digital tools to grow their trade. The CANEX Create-thon bridges this gap by equipping our creators with access to technology to turn their viral ideas into viable long-term businesses.
“Through CANEX, we are enabling creators to retain more value from their work and build a competitive base in regional and global markets. It’s time African creators captured the true financial value of their global influence,” Gondwe said.
The competition is open to amateur, emerging and established creators, allowing both individuals and teams to participate without requiring the support of production companies or existing audiences.
Throughout the competition, participants will receive technical guidance from between 30 and 40 ambassadors drawn from Gebeya’s technology community to help them maximise the use of artificial intelligence tools and digital production resources.
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gebeya, Amadou Daffe, said Africa’s creative industries are experiencing strong commercial growth but require greater investment in technology infrastructure.
“Recorded music revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa have grown by more than 20 per cent in a single year, the continent’s gaming market continues to expand, and Nigeria’s film industry remains among the world’s largest by production volume.
“Many creators still lack access to the technology and production infrastructure needed to realise the full potential of their ideas. We want to help African creators move from inspiration to execution and from experimentation to products that can reach audiences, attract partners and create commercial value,” he said.
Under the competition, first-place winners in each category will receive $7,000, second-place winners $3,500, while third-place winners will earn $1,500. Additional awards of $500 will be presented to qualifying finalists.
According to Afreximbank, selected winners will also gain access to its CANEX network, providing opportunities to engage with investors, policymakers, businesses and creative industry leaders from across Africa.
The overall winners will attend CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled for November 5–8 at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria, where they will showcase their innovations before global industry stakeholders.
Registration opens July 30 and closes August 19, 2026, with the initiative expected to serve as a platform for identifying Africa’s next generation of globally competitive creative entrepreneurs while promoting intra-African trade in creative goods and services.
