In a fruitful collaboration, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos continues to support the African Creative Marketplace for the third consecutive year, reflecting the growing alliance between the United States and Nigeria in the creative sector. The African Creative Marketplace, founded by Fortune-U.S. Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership alumna Dr. Inya Lawal, brings together African and international creative industry leaders to exchange ideas and explore innovations to accelerate the growth of the creative economy in Africa.
This year, the event welcomed the participation of two prominent American creative industry leaders: Steffan Horowitz of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Creative TV Exchange Program, ACTV, and Dedren Snead, CEO of Atlanta-based transmedia company SUBSUME Studios, with the support of the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.
During the conference, Julie McKay, Public Affairs Attaché at the U.S. Consulate, alongside Horowitz and Nigerian alumni from the Africa Creative TV Exchange Program, discussed opportunities to bridge the gap between African creators and global audiences. Their insights were invaluable to emerging filmmakers, producers, and content creators.
Snead led a workshop focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the role of digital platforms in amplifying African narratives globally. He also shared insights on using animation and gaming to create immersive cultural experiences that elevate African narratives internationally.
Additionally, the African Creative Marketplace hosted the AWE 2.0 initiative, bringing together 150 alumni from the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs for a three-day immersive program to build their digital skills to grow their businesses. Snead interacted with the alumni, emphasizing the U.S. government’s commitment to promoting women-led businesses and equipping women entrepreneurs with the skills needed to succeed in the evolving digital economy.
U.S. Consul General Will Stevens welcomed the growing collaboration between the U.S. and Nigerian creative industries, saying, “The United States recognizes the enormous potential of the creative industries to foster growth, promote prosperity, and create economic opportunity.”. As part of the U.S. mission, we continue to work with Nigerian creative industry leaders and innovators to discuss building a sustainable ecosystem, unlocking access to new markets, and fostering two-way trade and investment opportunities in the creative sector.”
Stevens also noted that the participation of U.S. industry leaders in the African Creative Marketplace is a testament to the strengthening ties between the two countries in areas such as music, film, fashion, gaming, arts, technology, as well as professional and educational exchanges.