Africa’s music and arts industry is a sleeping giant—here’s how it becomes a billion-dollar powerhouse

While South Korea has strategically transformed its entertainment industry into a $12.3 billion annual export industry through government-backed investments and global marketing, Africa’s creative economy lags due to limited capital access, weak intellectual property protections, and fragmented distribution networks.

Unlocking Africa’s creative economic potential

Collaborative public and private sector action is imperative to transform Africa’s creative industry into a sustainable economic engine. Governments must recognise music, arts and culture as strategic industries by offering tax incentives, establishing dedicated funding programmes, and investing in world-class infrastructure such as recording studios, theatres, and digital distribution platforms. For instance, Nigeria’s Creative Industry Finance Initiative (CIFI), backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, has demonstrated how structured financing can propel growth in the industry.

Simultaneously, private sector investment in scalable platforms is crucial. Africa’s digital music market is projected to reach $500 million by 2025, yet streaming royalties alone are insufficient for sustainable artist earnings. Companies must innovate beyond streaming, leveraging merchandising, live events, licensing deals, and blockchain-backed royalties to empower African creatives.

The success of platforms like Boomplay, Audiomack Africa, and Mdundo underscores the region’s demand for accessible, localised music services. However, the missing link is ownership—African artists and creatives must gain greater control over their revenue streams through better contracts, legal protections, and direct-to-fan monetisation strategies.

The roadmap to a billion-dollar industry

Transforming Africa’s creative sector into a billion-dollar powerhouse requires a strategic blueprint that prioritises investment, collaboration, and policy reforms. Establishing a dedicated African Creative Investment Fund, similar to those in the tech and agriculture industries, could provide low-interest loans, grants, and venture capital to fuel the growth of creative entrepreneurs.

Training and mentorship is also crucial. With a young population that is going to enter the workforce as newbies in the next decade, it is important that Older African creative industry professionals set up structures that allow younger professionals gain the required skills and expand their networks. It is when young Africans are globally trained as professionals that they can properly leverage opportunities that will fuel the growth personally and the creative industry in general 

Additionally, fostering regional collaboration through a pan-African film, music, arts, and fashion distribution framework would enable artists to scale beyond their local markets and tap into the continent’s 1.4 billion consumers. Strengthening intellectual property laws and enforcement is equally crucial to protect artists' work, prevent exploitation, and ensure fair compensation.

Furthermore, public-private partnerships (PPPs) between governments, investors, and technology innovators could drive the development of creative hubs, training academies, and cross-border festival circuits, creating an ecosystem that nurtures talent and enhances Africa’s global competitiveness.

Africa’s creative economy can no longer remain an untapped goldmine. The time for action is now. With the right investments, structured policies, and strategic partnerships, Africa’s music, film, and arts sectors can collectively generate over $10 billion annually, creating millions of jobs and positioning the continent as a global cultural and economic leader.

The sleeping giant is waking up—are we ready to unleash its full potential?

Sylvester Sede is the founder and CEO of Silverflame Media Ltd. and member of the Arts Connect Africa. The opinions and views expressed herein are solely his own and do not reflect the position or stance of the publication.