CANEX WKND 2026 lights up Lagos as Davido, Fally Ipupa, Flavour headline star-studded concert tonight
By Benjamin Njoku & Tony-Okafor Favour
The 2026 edition of Creative Africa Nexus Weekend, CANEX WKND, which opened at the Professor Wole Soyinka Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos on Thursday, continues this evening with a blockbuster concert.
Headlining the night are some of Africa’s biggest music stars, including Nigeria’s Davido, Congolese sensation Fally Ipupa, Flavour, Cali-Ber Tha Grime, Sabrina Francis and Nigerian DJ duo Wanni X Handi.
The concert will bring together performers from Africa and the Caribbean for an evening of live music, rhythm and cultural celebration.
The four-day gathering, themed “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World”, has brought the once moribund Arts Theatre back to life.
It convened leading voices from film, music, fashion, sport, publishing, gastronomy and business to advance trade, investment and commercial opportunities across Africa’s creative economy.
The opening day featured a series of masterclasses and sessions, including Building Your Brand as an Independent Artist, Podcasting for Success, Fashion Masterclass: Building Profitable Fashion Brands, and Building Sustainable Business Models in the Performing Arts.
In attendance were Vice-President Kassim Shettima, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Afreximbank President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr George Elombi; Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; and African Continental Free Trade Area Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene.
Other dignitaries included the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy for Nigeria, Hon Hannatu Musa Musawa; Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President of Intra-African Trade and Export Development at Afreximbank; Hon Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba; filmmaker Funke Akindele; and actors Richard Mofe-Damijo and Thuso Mbedu among other dignitaries.
Speaking while declaring the programme open, Shettima said the world will eventually hear about the can-do spirit of African women.
He commended Afreximbank for committing $2 billion to Africa’s creative industries by 2027, noting that the industry is not just about entertainment, but also serious economic infrastructure.
Shettima took the audience down memory lane, recalling almost 50 years ago when the same Arts Theatre hosted the second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC ’77, where the Black World declared through music, dance, literature and art that “our culture was not just a footnote to history, but the very core within it.
“In 1977, we came to celebrate our culture. In 2024, we are here to capitalize it,” he said.
He urged Africans to be proud of who they are without asking for anything in return.
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