Industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers have stressed the need to redefine Africa’s creative future through Artificial Intelligence (AI), cultural authenticity, and inclusive innovation.
This was the core message at The Genius Creatives Summit 2025, held in Abuja and convened by Nate Genius Media, with the theme “The New Creators’ Economy: Policies, Sovereignty, and Innovation in an AI-Powered Africa”.
The summit brought together thought leaders from technology, law, policy, culture, and diplomacy to examine how Africa can move from being passive consumers of AI to becoming global producers and innovators.
Convener of the Summit and CEO of Nate Genius Media, Chief Nathaniel Ogwuche, said the summit was conceived to “change the narrative around AI” and inspire Africa’s creative class to embrace technological transformation without losing cultural identity.
“The Genius Creators Summit was born to change this narrative, to create systems, collaborations, and conversations that help African creators not just survive, but thrive,” Ogwuche said.
“AI is not here to erase our culture or our lives. It is here to amplify them.”
He emphasised that Africa’s youth-driven creative economy has the potential to lead the next wave of digital innovation, but only if AI is approached from a place of sovereignty and self-definition.
“We are not waiting for the future; we are building it now. AI that understands our languages, reflects our values, and serves our people that is the future we are creating,” he added.
Speaking during the summit, Renowned storyteller and media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, challenged African creators to lean into authenticity rather than imitation.
Using examples from Nollywood, Afrobeats, and digital creators across the continent, Jideonwo illustrated how local narratives powered by courage, authenticity, and creativity have attracted global attention and investment.
“We don’t need the world to tell us our standards. We must make our standards so clear that the world adjusts to them. Our generation is no longer asking for seats at the table, we are building our own tables,” he declared.
The highlight of the summit was a robust panel discussion moderated by Comfort, a tech entrepreneur and growth analyst, who steered conversations around the theme “The New Creators’ Economy.”
Discussions centered on intellectual property protection, policy design, and digital sovereignty; critical factors for Africa’s evolving creative economy in an AI-powered world.
Umadi Holly Muneeri, intellectual property attorney and global music rights expert noted that AI’s intersection with music and media ownership raises pressing legal challenges.
“AI-generated works blur traditional boundaries of authorship. Creators must understand their rights and push for systems that protect originality even in machine-assisted production,” she said.
Joshua Osobasi, CEO of Geospatial Solutions Inc.; stressed the need for blockchain-based legislation to secure ownership and traceability of creative assets.
According to him, “Data is the new oil. Africa must legislate ownership of its digital creations the same way it once fought for control of its natural resources.”
Uduwhite Ndubisi Ahanonu, founder of the International Institute for Creative Development; advocated for a sustainable cultural policy framework, while emphasising local participation in cultural policymaking
“Creatives must help design the policies that govern them. Imported templates don’t work. Our culture must inform our innovation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Felix Arouet, President/CEO of Brief Holdings and Vice President for Foreign Direct Investments at the Pan-African Aid United 26th Green Nation, called for public-private collaboration to drive infrastructure and investment readiness in the creative sector, describing it as “Africa’s next trillion-dollar frontier.”
Participants agreed that the AI revolution is already redefining the global economic landscape.
Speakers noted that AI could boost global GDP by 15% in the next decade, a historic opportunity for Africa.
The Genius Creatives Summit is an annual platform powered by Nate Genius Media to promote cross-sector collaboration between creatives, innovators, policymakers, and investors across Africa.
The 2025 edition held in Abuja marked a turning point in the continent’s conversation around AI, culture, and creative sovereignty.
