Itana has signed Choplife, the entertainment and technology venture founded by Nigerian musician and entrepreneur Oluwatosin “Mr Eazi” Ajibade, as it expands its digital free trade zone beyond software startups into entertainment, media and intellectual property.
The partnership is expected to support Choplife’s growth across Africa while showing how Nigeria’s digital economic zone can help locally built businesses scale without having to move their corporate structures overseas.
Founded in 2020, Choplife operates entertainment, media, technology and gaming franchises across 12 African markets, including Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania. The company plans to use its new base to expand into Francophone Africa and Southern Africa, while also producing film and media content from within Itana.
Supporting African Businesses to Scale
For Mr Eazi, the decision to join Itana was largely driven by Choplife’s growing operations across the continent. He said that as much as 99% of what the company creates is made in Africa, while its products and content reach audiences across all 54 African countries and international markets.
He explained that the company needed strong regulatory standards and stability as it expanded, but did not want to move its corporate base to international jurisdictions such as Delaware or London.
Itana offers tax incentives, multi-currency banking and easier capital repatriation, which were important factors in Choplife’s decision. Mr Eazi also highlighted the experience of Itana’s founding team as a key reason for the partnership, noting that his own journey as an entrepreneur had shown him the value of working closely with experienced founders.
The move adds Choplife to more than 50 companies operating through Itana, including Circular Energy, Reliance Infosystems, Udu Technologies and Yamify.
For Itana CEO Chinyere Inya, bringing an established entertainment business into the zone reflects the changing nature of Africa’s digital economy. She said creative and digital entertainment businesses face many of the same structural challenges as technology companies because they build products and intellectual property for global markets.
Building a Digital Business Base in Nigeria
Itana was launched in 2021 by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji to provide African digital businesses with many of the structural benefits that have traditionally encouraged companies to incorporate in places such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
The initiative operates under the policy framework of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), which regulates Nigeria’s special economic zones. While these zones have traditionally focused on manufacturing, logistics and physical exports, Itana is applying the model to service-based and digital businesses whose exports include software, media, intellectual property and online services.
Inya said Itana’s focus also includes helping founders understand how special economic zones can support their businesses. She described Itana as Nigeria’s first special economic zone specifically designed for service-based and digital businesses.
The initiative has received institutional backing, including support from the Africa Finance Corporation in 2024 for the development of Itana’s digital economic zone and planned technology campus in Lagos.
Businesses seeking to incorporate through Itana must meet eligibility requirements, including a minimum share capital of $100,000 and submission of a feasibility study. According to Inya, the assessment is intended to determine whether companies have the potential to build sustainable businesses from Africa, rather than serving only as a compliance requirement.
For Nigerian founders, the model could reduce the need to establish overseas holding companies simply to access familiar regulatory and investment structures.
