The African Export-Import Bank has partnered with Gebeya to launch a continent-wide competition aimed at making creators build their projects, rather than just pitch them.
The CANEX Create-thon 2026, unveiled Wednesday through Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus programme, carries a total prize pool of US$50,000 and targets musicians, filmmakers, storytellers and game developers across Africa.
Registration opens July 30 and closes August 19, ahead of an intensive four-day creation sprint running from August 20 to 24.
The mechanics set it apart from the pitch-deck circuit that dominates much of Africa’s creative-funding landscape.
Participants get hands-on access to Gebeya’s Dala Studio platform built on the company’s proprietary Large Language Model and infrastructure designed for African language users along with computing resources and technical support, all aimed at producing working prototypes or completed projects within the sprint window.
No production company backing, studio access or existing audience required.
Temwa Gondwe, Director of Creatives and Diaspora at Afreximbank, framed the initiative as an economic correction as much as a creative showcase.
“Africa’s creators are visible and have the digital talent but have often lacked the financial backing and access to digital tools to grow their trade,” Gondwe said.
“The CANEX Create-thon bridges this gap by equipping our creators with access to technology to turn their viral ideas into viable long-term businesses. Through CANEX, we are enabling creators retain more value from their work, and to build a competitive base in regional and global markets. It’s time African creators captured the true financial value of their global influence.”
The numbers behind that ambition are already trending upward. Amadou Daffe, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Gebeya, pointed to the underlying market momentum driving the bet.
“The commercial momentum behind African creativity is already evident. Recorded music revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa have grown by more than 20 per cent in a single year, the continent’s gaming market continues to expand, and Nigeria’s film industry remains among the world’s largest by production volume,” Daffe said.
“However, many creators still lack access to the technology and production infrastructure needed to realise the full potential of their ideas. Through Dala Studio, the CANEX Create-thon will place practical digital tools directly in the hands of creators and challenge them to build original music, video and gaming projects. We want to help African creators move from inspiration to execution and from experimentation to products that can reach audiences, attract partners and create commercial value.”
Between 30 and 40 ambassadors drawn from Gebeya’s community network will guide participants through the Dala Studio platform and help troubleshoot technical issues during the sprint. Both individual creators and teams are eligible to compete.
Prize money is structured across three categories music, video and gaming with first place in each earning US$7,000, second place US$3,500 and third place US$1,500. Additional US$500 awards will go to qualifying finalists under the competition guidelines.
Submissions first pass through technology-assisted screening for compliance, before advancing to a public voting round that narrows the field to the top 100 projects. A panel of experts spanning the creative, technology and business sectors then selects the winners.
The payoff extends beyond prize checks. First-place winners in each category will attend CANEX WKND 2026, staged at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria, from November 5 to 8 a gathering that puts them in direct contact with investors, policymakers and creative-industry leaders across Afreximbank’s CANEX network.
The competition slots into Afreximbank’s broader push to commercialise Africa’s creative and cultural industries, an agenda that has gained urgency as African music streaming, film production and gaming markets post double-digit growth even as creators on the ground struggle to convert online visibility into sustainable income.
Organisers say the Create-thon is also designed as a replicable model a template for identifying creative-technology talent and building commercially viable African creative products at scale, rather than a one-off event.
Registration will open on 30 July 2026 and close on 19 August 2026. Creators can register and obtain the full competition guidelines, including eligibility, intellectual property and submission requirements, at https://wknd.canex.africa/canex-create-thon-2026.
