In partnership with the Open Society Foundations, African Export-Import Bank, Nigeria Bank of Industry, and Axxess, and in cooperation with Semafor, the Atlantic Council will host a public high-level event focused on Africa’s creative industries on the margins of the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit on December 13-15 in Washington, DC.

Over the past two decades, African markets have unleashed the most significant digital revolution globally. Those markets stretch across a continent that not only includes 17 percent of the entire global population, but also hosts the youngest population in the world: 40 percent of the total population is age fifteen or younger. With the development of streaming services, mobile banking, and digital currencies, the digital economy has become vital for African nations and their partners.

In fashion, from Dior to Louis Vuitton, the luxury market is influenced by African culture. In film, successful movies like Black Panther feature African artists. Additionally, streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ have increased their reach to African audiences. In the music industry, Nigerian artists such as Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid have signed with major American music labels.

The Atlantic Council is the only global think tank in Washington, DC, that has placed African creative industries at the center of its work having authored the first report in 2018 and hosted the Africa Creative Industries Summit of Washington in October 2021 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Arts. From the Sports Business Forum in Senegal to the Financial Engineering Task Force with development banks, the creative industries are the Africa Center’s signature program. The event will feature leading artists from the United States and Africa, investors, business executives, academia, and government officials from around the world who believe in the power of Africa’s creative industries.

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