ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 17 September 2024 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- In alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want”, the African Creative Alliance (ACA) is poised to become a key catalyst in transforming Africa into a global powerhouse by harnessing the immense potential of the continent’s cultural and creative sectors. This groundbreaking alliance will enable cultural and creative entrepreneurs to fully contribute to Africa’s development and integration goals.
The ACA, in collaboration with a diverse consortium of partners, including the African Union, UN-Habitat, MoTIV Africa, Inuka Ongoza Africa, Artisans of Innovation, British Council, AfriLabs, Save the Children, Innovation Village and others, was officially launched at the inaugural Africa Urban Forum. This historic event represents a significant step forward in harnessing the power of Africa’s creative industries to achieve socio-economic growth and strengthen continental unity.
The African Urban Forum (AUF), established by the African Union Commission and its Member States at the Fourth Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Public Service, Local Government, Urban Development and Decentralization (AU-STC No.8) held in Cairo, Egypt in August 2022, addressed the challenges and opportunities presented by rapid urbanization in Africa. The AUF serves as a continental platform aimed at fostering an inclusive and holistic approach to unlocking the potential of urbanization across Africa. The urban context is important to consider as a tool in the development of the Cultural and Creative Industry because of the catalytic function of the density of the Cultural and Creative Industry, if harnessed through clusters, incubators and support hubs, optimizing costs, knowledge and expertise. The broader ecosystem in terms of policy and other sectors is also present and within reach.
The Creative Economy in Africa is a dynamic but underexploited driver of GDP growth and employment, with enormous potential to drive socio-economic transformation on the continent. The global impact of the cultural and creative industries generates annual revenues of nearly US$2.3 trillion (approximately US$7 per person in the United States) and creates nearly 30 million jobs worldwide, a significant share of which are held by young people aged 15 to 29 (UNESCO, UNCTAD). The broader cultural and creative sectors account for 3.1% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 6.2% of all employment (UNESCO).
ILO estimates show that the cultural and creative industries as a whole accounted for 1.4% of global employment, or 46.2 million jobs in 2019. The same report indicates that in 2019, Asia and the Pacific accounted for the largest share of global employment in media and culture, or 52%, while Africa accounted for 9%.
Global data and research highlight the transformative potential of the creative economy to boost export earnings and create employment opportunities. The same opportunities apply for Africa’s youth and accelerating socio-economic development. However, orchestrated attention must be applied to successfully activate creative economies across the continent.
Rita Ngenzi, Founding Director of the African Creatives Alliance, highlighted the critical need for a coordinated effort to build robust Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ecosystems across Africa. “While we have vibrant pockets of CCI networks and events across the continent, a unified continent-wide ecosystem remains elusive. The ACA will fill this gap by drawing on best practices from across Africa, facilitating knowledge transfer and fostering the collaboration needed to advance Africa’s cultural and creative renaissance,” said Ngenzi.
The launch of the ACA marks an important milestone in harnessing the power of Africa’s creative and cultural sectors for development and integration goals. In the process of harnessing the power of Africa’s creative and cultural industry for development and integration goals, it is important to understand what this means and to raise awareness on how cultural and creative industries can best be integrated into various programmes and policies. This must be done in a way that ensures the intrinsic development of the cultural and creative sectors, while achieving results in other sectors and areas of development.
Partner Quotes
“Building on our experiences with MOTIV and partnering with similar initiatives across the continent, the African Creative Alliance is an ambitious coalition aimed at unlocking the vast potential of Africa’s creative economy. By 2050, one in four people will be African, making our continent a key growth market. With over 70% of the population reliant on the informal economy and facing a massive job creation challenge, Africa’s future lies in its untapped human potential.” – CK Japheth, Founder & Team Leader of MoTIV Africa
“At AfriLabs, we believe in the power of collaboration and innovation to unlock the potential of Africa’s creative industries. The African Creatives Alliance is a bold step towards creating a unified ecosystem that will empower creatives across the continent. By connecting hubs, entrepreneurs and policymakers, we can ensure that Africa’s creative talent thrives and contributes meaningfully to the socio-economic development of our continent.” – Anna Ekeledo, Executive Director of AfriLabs
Activating creative economies should not be rocket science. However, it is complex due to several obstacles where the perception of a division between culture and economy creates a huge gap and is the biggest blockage in people’s minds. We need to know our elements, orchestrate them, apply them, raise awareness. We need to master collaboration to get there and free ourselves from siloed agendas. – Johanna Kouzmine-Karavaïeff, Cultural & Creative Industry Expert, Founding Partner of Artisans of Innovation
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) pour Africa Creatives Alliance.
Editor’s Notes
About the African Creatives Alliance
The African Creatives Alliance (ACA) envisions strengthening Africa’s role as a global contributor to the creative economy by building a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable ecosystem that empowers creatives, drives innovation and fosters cultural and economic growth across the continent. Our mission is to unite and fortify Africa’s creative economy through strategic partnerships, advocacy and capacity building, creating a vibrant network of hubs, incubators and stakeholders that supports sustainable growth, improves market access and highlights the cultural and economic value of creativity. The ACA approach is based on five key pillars: the Ecosystem Convening, which brings together creative hubs, incubators, accelerators and makerspaces, as well as government, NGOs, academia and private sector actors, to foster collaboration and drive system-level change; Policy & Advocacy, focused on creating an enabling environment through research-based policy recommendations that promote intellectual property protection, inclusivity and equitable access to resources; Education and Capacity Building, leading comprehensive training programs to equip hubs, incubators, accelerators and makerspaces with the skills and innovative business models needed to support creatives and prepare them for success in global markets; Infrastructure and Enterprise Strengthening, prioritizing investments in physical infrastructure, reducing production costs and improving market access to increase productivity across value chains; and Investment, focused on mobilizing capital through tailored investment vehicles, including grants, equity and impact investment funds, to meet the lifecycle needs of creative businesses, foster growth and generate sustainable economic impact.
ACA’s co-creation is central to its success, ensuring it serves market-facing actors such as incubators, accelerators, hubs, clusters and makerspaces. To further this collaborative approach, ACA has launched a survey to gather insights from these stakeholders, shaping its programs to provide the most relevant and impactful support in strengthening Africa’s creative ecosystem. The survey is accessible via Through these pillars, ACA is committed to building a robust, job-creating and enterprise-driven creative economy.
For more information please contact: Rita Ngenzi on [email protected]
Source : African Media Agency (AMA)
2024-09-17 15:28:07
#African #Creatives #Alliance #launched #African #Urban #Forum #Addis #Ababa #
Employment opportunities in Africa, particularly for the youth.
Table of Contents
Unlocking Africa’s Creative Potential: The African Creative Alliance Set to Transform the Continent
The African Creative Alliance (ACA) has officially launched, marking a significant step forward in harnessing the power of Africa’s creative industries to achieve socio-economic growth and strengthen continental unity. This groundbreaking alliance is poised to become a key catalyst in transforming Africa into a global powerhouse by unleashing the immense potential of the continent’s cultural and creative sectors.
The Africa We Want: Aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063
In alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want,” the ACA aims to enable cultural and creative entrepreneurs to fully contribute to Africa’s development and integration goals. This vision is centered around harnessing the creative economy to drive socio-economic transformation on the continent.
The Power of Creative Industries
The global impact of the cultural and creative industries is staggering, generating annual revenues of nearly $2.3 trillion and creating nearly 30 million jobs worldwide. In Africa, the creative economy has the potential to drive GDP growth and employment, with enormous potential to transform the lives of millions of young people.
The African Urban Forum: Unlocking the Potential of Urbanization
The ACA was launched at the inaugural Africa Urban Forum (AUF), which addressed the challenges and opportunities presented by rapid urbanization in Africa. The AUF serves as a continental platform aimed at fostering an inclusive and holistic approach to unlocking the potential of urbanization across Africa. The urban context is crucial in developing the cultural and creative industry, as it provides a catalyst for density, clusters, incubators, and support hubs that can optimize costs, knowledge, and expertise.
The Broader Ecosystem: Policy and Sector Support
The ACA recognizes the importance of a broader ecosystem in terms of policy and sector support to drive the growth of the cultural and creative industries. This includes collaboration with partners such as the African Union, UN-Habitat, MoTIV Africa, Inuka Ongoza Africa, Artisans of Innovation, British Council, AfriLabs, Save the Children, Innovation Village, and others.
Youth Employment and Socio-Economic Transformation
The creative economy has the potential to create employment opportunities for Africa’s youth, who make up a significant proportion of the continent’s population. By activating creative economies across Africa, the ACA aims to boost export earnings and create jobs, thereby accelerating socio-economic development.
The Critical Need for a Coordinated Effort
Rita Ngenzi, Founding Director of the African Creatives Alliance, highlighted the critical need for a coordinated effort to build robust Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) ecosystems across Africa. “While we have vibrant pockets of CCI networks and events across the continent, a unified continent-wide ecosystem remains elusive. The ACA will fill this gap by drawing on best practices from across Africa, facilitating knowledge transfer and fostering the collaboration needed to advance Africa’s cultural and creative renaissance,” said Ngenzi.
A New Era for Africa’s Creative Economy
The launch of the ACA marks an important milestone in harnessing the power of Africa’s creative and cultural sectors for development. As the continent embarks on this transformative journey, the ACA is poised to play a critical role in unlocking Africa’s creative potential and driving socio-economic growth.
Key Takeaways:
The African Creative Alliance (ACA) has launched to harness the power of Africa’s creative industries for socio-economic growth and continental unity.
The ACA aims to enable cultural and creative entrepreneurs to fully contribute to Africa’s development and integration goals.
* The creative economy has the potential to drive GDP growth and
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Unlocking Africa’s Creative Potential: The African Creative Alliance Takes Center Stage
[Image: A group of people from diverse cultural backgrounds gathered around a table, engaged in a creative discussion, with African instruments and art pieces surrounding them.]
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – In an era where creativity and innovation are driving forces behind economic growth and development, the African Creative Alliance (ACA) is poised to revolutionize the continent’s cultural and creative sectors. Launched at the inaugural Africa Urban Forum, the ACA aims to harness the immense potential of Africa’s creative industries, aligning with