Africa’s efforts to build a single market for creative services will depend increasingly on digital trade rules, intellectual property protection and the ability of businesses to reach customers across national borders, according to remarks delivered on behalf of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat at CANEX WKND 2026.
In a video message played during the Lagos opening ceremony, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene pointed to the commercial potential of music, film, audiovisual production, esports and gaming. He identified the agreement’s protocols on digital trade and intellectual property rights as important frameworks for cross-border creative commerce, according to a transcript reconstructed from the ceremony recording.
A continental market for digital creativity
Creative businesses increasingly sell products that can move internationally without crossing a physical border. Music is streamed, films are licensed, games are distributed online and designers can serve customers in other countries remotely.
That creates opportunities for African companies to reach larger audiences, but it also raises practical questions about payments, contracts, taxation, consumer rules, licensing and ownership of digital content. Fragmented requirements can raise the cost of operating across multiple markets, especially for smaller enterprises without specialist legal teams.
Regional trade integration could help address some of these barriers. The AfCFTA’s broader objective is to support trade across African economies, while its digital trade and intellectual property instruments are intended to provide a more coherent basis for commerce involving digital products and protected creative works.
The existence of protocols, however, should not be confused with uniform implementation. National laws, regulatory capacity, infrastructure and business practices still shape whether a creator can sell efficiently across borders.
Why rights protection is central
A film distributor entering a new market needs clarity about who owns the relevant rights and which licences apply. A music business requires mechanisms for tracking use and collecting royalties. A gaming studio needs to protect software, artwork, branding and contractual relationships with publishers.
Weak enforcement can discourage investment and make it difficult for smaller businesses to negotiate from a position of strength. But overly complex compliance requirements can also impose costs that independent creators cannot afford.
The policy challenge is therefore to make rights protection effective and commercially usable. That includes accessible registration and dispute mechanisms, transparent licensing arrangements and better information for entrepreneurs entering unfamiliar markets.
Esports and gaming broaden the conversation
Mene’s reference to esports and gaming illustrates how the creative economy now extends beyond more established sectors such as film and music. Games combine software development, storytelling, visual art, sound design, marketing and online community management.
They can create opportunities for developers, artists and digital service providers, but success depends on infrastructure as well as talent. Reliable connectivity, affordable payments, digital distribution channels and access to specialist investment are important conditions for growth.
For policymakers, treating gaming as both a technology activity and a creative export could encourage more coordinated support. For investors, the key questions include the commercial viability of studios, ownership of intellectual property and the ability to reach paying audiences.
Trade policy meets creative-industry finance
The AfCFTA message complemented remarks from Afreximbank President George Elombi, who argued that Africa must retain more of the value generated by its global creative output. Financing can help companies produce and distribute content, but the ability to trade across markets determines how far that investment can go.
Afreximbank’s 2024 annual report describes the CANEX programme as combining finance, capacity building and market access. The bank also identifies intellectual property commercialisation as part of its approach to creative-sector development.
Those priorities are connected. A business with well-defined rights and access to regional customers may be better positioned to attract financing than one operating only through informal agreements and limited domestic distribution.
What implementation would look like
Progress will depend on whether creative businesses experience simpler cross-border transactions, clearer rights administration and better access to buyers. Practical indicators could include the cost of receiving payments from other African countries, the time required to license content in a new market and the availability of reliable dispute-resolution processes.
Policymakers will also need to account for the diversity of the sector. Independent musicians, production companies, publishers, fashion businesses and gaming studios face different commercial challenges, even when they share an interest in wider market access.
CANEX WKND’s message was that Africa’s creative economy should be treated as a serious part of the continent’s trade agenda. The test will be whether legal frameworks and supporting infrastructure make it easier for African enterprises to sell, license and profit from their work across the continent.
Sources: CANEX WKND 2026 opening ceremony recording (speaker transcript supplied for editorial review); Afreximbank 2024 Annual Report; Afreximbank on the AfCFTA partnership and IATF2027.
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