EWA Creative Connect and the New Architecture of African Creative Power

The global creative economy is currently growing at a rapid pace and undergoing significant restructuring. At the center of this shift is a deliberate, intentional effort to reposition Africa from a mere participant to a primary stakeholder. Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) is leaning fully into, and owning, this moment.

With the launch of EWA Creative Connect, the platform is moving beyond celebration to design a space where talent gains access to capital, ideas receive the infrastructure they deserve to bloom, and African creativity is no longer exported passively but negotiated at the highest levels.

EWA Creative Connect London Panel.

EWA Creative Connect is quickly establishing itself as a fixture within the global cultural circuit, not by chance, but by strategic positioning. 

Its debut in Los Angeles during Grammy Weekend was intentional; it was not just about proximity to influence, but insertion into it. As the global music industry converged, EWA created a parallel space where African creatives and decision-makers could engage on equal footing with global stakeholders.

The London edition on March 19, 2026, sharpened that positioning even further. Timed to coincide with a historic Nigerian state visit to the UK, the gathering functioned as a cultural counterpart to diplomacy. While official conversations unfolded within the walls of Windsor Castle, another kind of negotiation was taking place, one focused on culture, capital, and long-term creative exchange. Here, the creative economy was treated as essential infrastructure.

At the core of this movement are Darey Art Alade and Deola Art Alade, co-founders of Livespot360 and Entertainment Week Africa. Their vision is clear: talent is only the starting point.

Darey Art Alade Speaking at EWA Creative Connect London.

Deola Art Alade and a guest at EWA Creative Connect.

“Talent alone is not enough. You need investment, relationships, and access. EWA Creative Connect exists to close that gap.” - Darey Art Alade

What sits beneath that statement is an understanding of the global system: talent without structure remains local, but talent with access becomes an industry. Deola Art Alade frames it even more directly: the goal is to ensure African leaders are not adjacent to global conversations, but inside them.

The London edition was less an event and more a convergence point. Spanning government, finance, technology, and culture, the room was deliberately constructed to reflect the full ecosystem required to scale a creative economy. From policy to production, and capital to content, the attendees represented the machinery behind global influence.

Distinguished guests included the Minister of Trade, Hon. Jumoke Oduwole; the First Lady of Kwara State, Her Excellency Olufolake Abdulrazaq; and senior executives from Adobe, LemFi, Diageo, Unilever, and the British Film Institute, among others.

Nigerian Minister of Trade, Hon. Jumoke Oduwole, at EWA Creative Connect London.

First Lady of Kwara State, Her Excellency Olufolake Abdulrazaq.

This is only the beginning of what to expect from EWA Creative Connect as it expands beyond local borders to engage the industry’s most vital global players.