African Creative Industries Investment Summit

This post is a bit of a departure from my usual postings, on art and success, however, when I was approached by the managing director of the ACIIS in the run up to the investment summit on the 10th of April, I was excited by the prospect of the event and decided to look into it further.

Wherever you are in the world, there is no way you could miss the fact that the pulse of the African economy is quickening. In fact, according to an article published by Mckinsey Quarterly in 2010, the rate of return on foreign investment in Africa is higher than in any other developing region, an exciting prospect for investors. Looking specifically at the creative industries, it is clear that as Africa’s growing economies seek to diversify, the savvy are becoming increasingly aware of its creative sectors as a potential area for investment.

When it comes to entertainment, Nigeria is an obvious front runner. Other areas which are growing rapidly include contemporary art, fashion, digital media, music and publishing. A quick look at the areas which are contributing the most to the growth of African economies reveals that the creative industries have a way to go to catch up, however, if anything, this only exposes the huge potential of the sector. The potential for employment, the diversification of African economies and the chance to completely rebrand the image of African countries on a global scale, through the creative industries is great and one organisation has taken this knowledge and used it to bring the question of investment in Africa’s creative industries to the forefront.

The African Creative Industries Investment Summit (ACIIS) is an event which will be held on the 10th of April 2013 in London. The purpose of the event is to showcase economic opportunities of the African creative industries to a wide network of venture capitalists, financial intuitions and other interested parties in London. Using real examples of African businesses, pre and post venture capital investment, the summit aims to showcase the true potential of African creative businesses in an event boasting an impressive array of speakers for the first time outside of Africa.

Commenting on the launch of the inaugural ACIIS event, Nzube Ufodike, Managing Director of Amoo Venture Capital Advisory said,

“There is an argument for increasing funding to the creative industries. However the conversations rarely sustain the imagination of professional investors who prefer to evaluate potential returns on investment. This summit aims to lay the facts on the table for objective investors to evaluate. The overwhelming support we’ve received from many stakeholders in the creative industries was central to making this summit happen.”

Whether you are a potential investor or work within the creative industries, the potential benefits of this day long event are many and include:

• The chance to network with like minded individuals and key people from financial institutions, venture capital and private equity.

• The chance to meet key policy makers and creative industry leaders.

• Gain key insights into African creative industries from creative industry leaders.

The theme of the first event is “BUSINESS MODELS AND INVESTMENTS IN AFRICA’S CREATIVE INDUSTRIES.” It takes place at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden on Wednesday 10th April.

For more information on the speakers at this event or to book tickets, please visit the website by clicking here.