NECLive, West Africa’s largest creative industry conference, returns to Lagos on Friday, November 28 2025, at Landmark Event Centre. African entertainment is taking over the world—from Nigerian artists selling out iconic venues worldwide to Nollywood productions breaking streaming records. But how do we turn this cultural domination into lasting economic power?
Award-winning musicians, record-breaking filmmakers, and industry experts from Nigeria and the rest of the world will convene once more to chart the roadmap for building an industry that matches our global influence under the theme, “Powering Africa Through Creative Enterprise.”
Since its inception in 2013, NECLive has been the room where it happens. Over 500 industry experts have graced the stages, more than 100,000 people have attended the conference, and over 100 million people have been reached across 50+ countries. However, the most significant statistic about NECLive is that over 1,000 deals and partnerships have been sealed as a result of the event.
This is where careers launch, brands connect, and the future of African entertainment gets written.
The speaker lineup for the 2025 edition features industry titans, policymakers, investors with real money, and rising stars reshaping the game. Expect masterclasses, panels tackling funding, intellectual property, and distribution, plus networking that could change your life.
Nigeria’s creative economy is worth over $4.2 billion annually. Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry by volume. Afrobeats artists are winning Grammys and headlining Coachella.
But we’re still leaving money on the table. Infrastructure challenges, funding gaps, weak IP protection, and distribution issues hold us back from capturing our full share of the $2.25 trillion global creative economy.
NECLive 2025 is where we fix that.
Artists, filmmakers, content creators, industry professionals, brands, investors, media—anyone who wants to understand how African entertainment really works and connect with the people making it happen. This is your Oscars, your Met Gala, your Super Bowl.
NECLive 2025 is produced by Nigerian Entertainment Today and the Africa Creative Foundation, in association with ID Africa, BHM, and Huce Valeris, with sponsorship from MultiChoice, MTN Nigeria, First Bank, The Macallan, and X3M Ideas.
In five years, when African entertainment has completely dominated the global stage (and it will), you’ll want to say you were in the room when the blueprint was created.
The registration is open. The energy is building. All that’s missing is you.
Don’t be the person watching the highlights on Instagram while everyone else is making history.