The Création Africa 2025 Forum concluded in Lagos after three days of high-level
dialogue, exhibitions, and artistic showcases that celebrated Africa’s creative power and
deepened France–Nigeria relations, following its successful debut produced by Mansa productions in Paris in 2023.
Held from October 16–18, 2025, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, the programme brought together over 3,000 young creatives, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across Anglophone and Francophone Africa. It served as a platform tocelebrate African creativity and accelerate collaboration between artists, financiers, and policymakers shaping the continent’s digital and cultural economy.
Organised by the French Embassy in Nigeria under President Emmanuel Macron’s
Maison des Mondes Africains initiative, Création Africa 2025 edition was supported by the France–Nigeria Business Council (FNBC)andfeaturedadynamicmixofpanel
sessions,exhibitions,andmentorshipengagementsunderthetheme“Technology
Meets Creativity: Building Africa’s Creative Economy.”
Theeventwasofficiallyopenedby Jean-JoëlBarrot, FrenchMinisterforEuropeand
ForeignAffairs,whoreaffirmedFrance’slong-standingcommitmenttosupporting
Africa’screativeandentrepreneurialecosystems.Henotedthathisengagementsin
Nigeria reflected France’s strategic intention to strengthen cooperation with the Nigerian
government and the FNBC as a critical platform for advancing bilateral trade, innovation,
and sustainable partnerships.

As part of the high-level engagements, the France–Nigeria Business Council held its 9th
Council Meeting, chaired by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede CFR, Chairman, Access Holdings
Plc,withdistinguishedNigerianandFrenchbusinessleadersinattendance.
Discussionsfocusedonexpandinginvestmentcooperation,financingcreative-industry
infrastructure,anddeepeningpartnershipsinfinance,agribusiness,energy,and
technology.
Followingthecouncilmeeting,aministerialluncheonwasheldatAllianceFrançaise,
wheretheFrenchMinisterdiscussedFrance’scontinuedsupportforNigeria’s
sustainabledevelopmentpriorities,highlightingtheplanned €400million‘OmiEko
Project’,whichaimstoenhanceLagos’urbaninfrastructureandenvironmental
resilience, with a projected reduction of 31,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually once
implemented.
In hisremarks, Aig-Imoukhuede commended theFrenchGovernment’s commitmentto
NigeriaandunderscoredtheFNBC’smissiontoserveasabridgeofcommerceand
creativitybetweenbothcountries.Heemphasisedtheimportanceofprivate-sector
collaborationinacceleratinginvestment,innovation,andyouthempowermentacross
Africa’s key growth sectors.

BarrotcommendedtheCouncil’sroleinfosteringbilateralpartnershipsandinvitedFNBC
memberstoparticipateactivelyintheforthcoming France–AfricaBusinessForumin
Nairobi (2026), the Paris International Agricultural Show 2026, and other major France–
Africa cooperation programmes.
Later that evening, Aig-Imoukhuede featured as a speaker during a session titled, “From
Idea to Business: How to Put Creativity at the Heart of the Game.” Moderated by Maria
Adorante,theconversationexploredtheintersectionofcreativity,finance,and
technology in shaping Africa’s entrepreneurial future.
“When I think about Africa and the future of our continent, two things come to mind, our
youth and our creativity,” he said. “Africa is a cultural superpower, and our responsibility
is to build systems that allow this creative energy to transform economies and shape the
future of our continent.”
He emphasised that entrepreneurship and artistry share the same DNA of imagination,
discipline, and the courage to create impact.
“Every entrepreneur must remember, it’s not what you feel about your idea that counts;
it’s what the consumer feels that matters,” he noted. “You must be brave enough to test
your ideas, take feedback, and refine them until they change lives.”
As a co-sponsor of Création Africa 2025, Access Holdings reaffirmed its strategic
commitment to championing creativity, innovation, and youth development across Africa.
Throughits subsidiariesandinitiatives, theGroupcontinues toinvestin platformsthat
empower Africa’s creative and cultural industries, including the Access Creative Hub and
its collaboration with Tate Modern (London) celebrating Nigerian modernist arts
featuring over 250 works by more than 50 Nigerian artists, including Ben Enwonwu, Ladi
Kwali,YusufGrilloandUzoEgonu,reflectsAccessHoldings’dedicationtoamplifying
African narratives and celebrating the continent’s artistic heritage on a global stage.
“Africa’sprosperitywillbedefinedasmuchbyourcreativespiritasbyoureconomic
ambition,” said Aig-Imoukhuede.
Access Holdings operates across banking, pensions, lending, payments and insurance,
but its purpose extends beyond finance, towards making a positive impact in Africa.
CAPTIONS
PHOTO 1
LR:AdoraUmeoji,ManagingDirector,ZenithBank;TundeFolawiyo,Chairman,
CoronationMerchantBank;AigbojeAig-Imoukhuede,President,FranceNigeria
Business Council (FNBC) and Chairman, Access Holdings; Jean-Noël Barrot, French
MinisterforEuropeandForeignAffairs;JeanHaas,SecretaryGeneral,FNBC,and
InnocentIke,GroupManagingDirector/CEO,AccessHoldings,attheministerial
luncheononthesidelinesof CreationAfrica2025Forum, whichheldinLagos.