The 11th edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference kicked off in Lagos. Comedian Tee A hosted the event. Creative industry executives, tech partners and talent gathered to explore scaling the business of Nigerian entertainment. The conference is a fixture on the cultural calendar. It is also a reminder that Nigerian entertainment generates global attention but struggles to capture value locally.
The historical echo is the 2016 recession, when entertainment became one of Nigeria’s few growth sectors. Afrobeats went global. Nollywood found streaming audiences. The business model remained fragile. Artists sign exploitative contracts. Filmmakers depend on cinema chains that barely exist. The winners are Tee A, conference attendees and Lagos, which hosts the event. The losers are artists who lack representation and fans who pay more for concerts as costs rise.
Winners: Tee A; conference attendees; Lagos.
Losers: Artists without representation; fans facing rising costs.
Bottom Line: Conferences celebrate the business of entertainment. The real test is whether artists capture more of the value they create.