Creativity That Works: Youth, Jobs & the Creative Economy in Africa

​Hosted by Filamujuani, Baraza Media Lab & Nation Media Foundation

​Across Africa, creative industries are more than cultural expression—they are engines of economic opportunity, youth employment, and narrative power. In this interactive session, we’ll spotlight real-world models that are training, funding, and elevating the next generation of storytellers, creators, and creative entrepreneurs.

​From Nairobi to Netflix, Filamujuani has spent 15 years training youth in content creation, with alumni now running their own studios and landing global distribution. Baraza Media Lab, as part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Sanara Program, is building an ecosystem to skill youth in high-demand creative fields. And Nation Media Foundation is connecting the dots between business, development, and storytelling to scale these efforts for national and regional impact.

​This session brings together creatives, funders, ecosystem builders, and policymakers to ask:

• ​What does meaningful investment in creative youth look like?

• ​How do we move beyond talent shows to sustainable career pipelines?

• ​And how can storytelling shift how we view African youth—not as beneficiaries, but as builders of the future?

​Expect practical lessons, fresh collaborations, and inspiration rooted in creative work that doesn’t just look good—it works.