At NECLive 2025, Ayeni Adekunle, founder of Black House Media and NECLive Convener, noted that creativity is far more than content production; it is a strategic force for shaping narratives, shifting perceptions, and redefining how the world sees Nigeria and Africa.
He explained that storytelling and intentional creativity can influence global understanding at a time when major powers like America and China remain key stakeholders in Nigeria’s future.
Ayeni noted that despite Africa’s immense cultural wealth, the world still struggles to grasp the depth of African creativity. “The world deserves and should understand African creativity better,” he said. This understanding, he argued, becomes even more important as Nigeria grapples with internal crises, especially insecurity, that require new forms of social connection and national imagination.
According to him, creativity can help foster understanding both within Nigeria, between Nigeria and the world by building empathy, bridging cultural gaps, and offering new narratives that counter stereotypes.
Going further he also highlighted the challenges ahead. “But What is it going to cost us to get to that place? Nigeria is a poor country and we’re a poor people,” he said. “But we’re potentially rich, we have natural resources and brilliant creative people.”
He pointed to Hollywood as an example of what long-term vision and investment can achieve. Building such an industry, he explained, takes years of commitment, strategy, and infrastructure.
Nigeria, he believes, already has the young talent imaginative, bold, and globally competitive. What is needed now is sustained vision and support.
“We have the potential,” Ayeni concluded. “What we need is the vision to match it.”
