NECLive and Frontyard Group release The State of Nigeria’s Creative Economy 2026 Report
The Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive), in partnership with Frontyard Group, today announced the release of The State of Nigeria’s Creative Economy 2026.
This comprehensive, data-led diagnostic report transforms the national conversation surrounding Nigeria’s creative economy from mere celebration to hard evidence, mapping the exact structural barriers currently inhibiting the sector’s explosive potential.
Capturing the lived working experiences of 377 creative professionals across eight sectors, the report draws on an extensive survey gathered in the weeks following NECLive 2025. It spans the full arc of the creative working life, analysing everything from daily operational obstacles to international export barriers.
A central, unambiguous revelation of the 2026 report is that a shortage of talent does not hold back Nigeria’s creative sector. Rather, the ecosystem and machinery surrounding that talent are fundamentally restricting its growth.
Survey participants identified critical roadblocks limiting their ability to scale. These include Basic Infrastructure Deficits, Administrative Burden, Friction in Payment Rails, and Deficient Financing & Training, among others.
“We have never lacked influence. What we have lacked is evidence about the machinery beneath that influence and the honest conversation that evidence makes possible. A sector that can name its own constraints is a sector ready to be built. The talent has already done its part. It is time for the systems to catch up, says Tomiwo Ojo, Head of Content at ID Africa.
This report moves the conversation from dialogue to a set of clear, actionable recommendations for the government, investors, and the private sector, marking another significant milestone in NECLive’s long history of shaping Africa’s entertainment landscape.
The State of Nigeria’s Creative Economy 2026 is now available for download to the public, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
To access the full report, please visit the official NECLive website at nec.ng
About NECLive
NECLive is the marketplace of ideas, products and services for the African entertainment industry. Since 2013, NECLive has provided a platform for discussing challenges, exchanging ideas, and finding strengthened pathways for the entertainment industry in Nigeria to thrive. The conference hosts respected guests, speakers, panellists, and performers from various sectors of the economy, attracting thousands of participants and millions of viewers globally.
About Frontyard
Frontyard is an innovation and investment engine powering Africa’s creative frontier. The company identifies the structural gaps across the creative value chain – from distribution to rights management – and co-builds the ventures that close them.
Operating across music, film, and sports, Frontyard incubates
ventures that solve the foundational problems holding Africa’s creative economy back – making the sector investable, resilient, and scalable. Its aim is a creative economy with the infrastructure to let African creativity scale globally and sustainably.
