NECLive 2026 to champion Nigeria’s ‘home advantage’

The 11th annual Nigerian Entertainment Conference, NECLive, is set to take place on November 12, 2026, at Alliance Française in Lagos. Organized by BHM, ID Africa, and the editorial board of Nigerian Entertainment Today, the conference will be themed "Home Advantage: Transforming Local Demand into Global Power." The theme emphasizes the importance of Nigeria's growing domestic audience in building greater ownership, attracting investment, and enhancing the country's global creative influence.

NECLive founder and convener, Ayeni Adekunle, highlighted the country's potential to leverage its domestic market for economic value and creative ownership. He stated that while Nigeria has already demonstrated the ability to capture the world's attention with its creative industries, the next opportunity lies in building upon the strength of its local market.

The conference will address various challenges facing Nigeria's creative industries, including affordability, limited audience growth, reliance on diaspora markets, and unequal access to opportunities across the sector. Experts and industry professionals will discuss strategies to convert the size and diversity of the local market into sustainable economic benefits and creative ownership.

Since its inception in 2013, NECLive has grown into a platform for industry dialogue, networking, innovation, and policy advocacy, attracting over 500 speakers and panellists, more than 100,000 participants, and audiences from more than 50 countries. The 2026 edition will focus on developing sustainable business models around domestic demand, attracting investment, and strengthening domestic ecosystems to help Nigerian creators achieve scale and compete effectively in international markets.