Accessing the global creative innovation in a digital economy -by Aisha Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria
Distinguished guests, creators, policymakers, innovators, and partners. I’m honoured to stand here today—not just as the Chief Digital Officer of MTN Nigeria, but as someone who has spent over three decades at the intersection of technology, creativity, economics, and human behaviour.
In those 30 years, across telecom evolution, digital transformation, and Africa’s cultural renaissance, one truth has remained constant: Africa has never lacked talent. So, today’s conversation is not about talent. It’s about unlocking scale.
AFRICA: A cultural superpower without global control
For decades, Africa has shaped global music, fashion, storytelling and identity. Our creators influence billions—yet we capture a fraction of the commercial value.
This paradox exists because we export creativity but import monetisation. We drive global culture, but don’t own global platforms. We have the stories, but not yet the systems to scale those stories.
If you don’t own distribution, you don’t own value. And if you don’t own data, you don’t own the future.
The digital economy is the new geopolitics
Today, global power is no longer defined by borders—it is defined by platforms. Platforms are the new nations. Creators are the new diplomats. Stories are the new exports. Data is the new currency. Imagination is the new capital. Africa’s challenge is not creativity. It is creative infrastructure. This is where policy, technology, and business models must meet.
4 system shifts Africa needs
Policy Reform: Policies are not just rules; they are economic architecture. Africa must prioritize:
- Modern copyright and IP protection
- Affordable, universal broadband
- Tax incentives for creative exports and digital businesses
- IP-backed lending frameworks
- Policy must shift from policing creativity to protecting and enabling it.
Platform Ownership: The ones who own the platforms shape the value chain. Africa must build:
- African-owned streaming platforms
- African payment rails
- African AI models trained on African datasets
- African creative distribution ecosystems
Without platform ownership, we remain participants, not producers, of global value.
People & Skills: Africa’s youth population is our biggest global advantage. But creativity without digital literacy, AI mastery, data skills, and storytelling excellence will not scale. We must invest in:
- AI-assisted production
- Animation
- Gaming
- Virtual production
- High-fidelity audio and video engineering
- Global-standard scriptwriting and IP development
This is workforce transformation, not just training.
Capital: Creativity becomes industry only when it meets capital. Africa needs:
- Creative venture funds
- Export financing
- IP-backed lending
- Structured partnerships between telcos, studios, and creators
The economy follows where capital flows.
MTN’S role in the new creative economy
At MTN, our position is clear: Connectivity is not the product. Participation is the product, Participation is inclusion.
Every 4G tower, every 5G rollout, every digital service, every payment innovation—is designed to bring the Nigerian creator closer to global visibility and global monetization.
Our goal is simple: A Nigerian creator, anywhere, can produce, distribute, and earn—at global standards—from their smartphone.
Africa’s Creative Future
The next wave of global creative exports from Africa will come from:
- African animation rooted in folklore
- African gaming powered by mythology and Afrofuturism
- Lifestyle content tailored to the world’s mobile-first audience
- AI-enhanced Nollywood with global-ready production pipelines
- Immersive music-tech collaborations expanding Afrobeats into new genres
The world is not waiting for us to imitate. The world is waiting for us to own our originality.
A new alliance
To unlock the next decade, we must build a new alliance:
Government × Private Sector × Creators × Technology Platforms × Investors. Because creativity thrives in ecosystems—not silos.
If we want to transform an industry, we fix systems. If we want to transform a continent, we ignite imagination. And Africa’s imagination is one of the richest on Earth.
So let me end with this truth: Africa is not the next frontier. Africa is the frontier. Our creativity is global. Our stories are global. Our future must be global.
Thank you.
This is a direct transcript of A’isha Umar Mumuni’s Keynote address; Accessing the global creative innovation in a digital economy at NECLive 2025
