TODAY, we announce plans for this year’s edition of NECLive, which will hold on November 28, 2025, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, and other venues across the country and the rest of the world.
We founded NECLive over a decade ago because we were troubled and bothered about the issues plaguing the industry, holding talents down, holding companies down and preventing what could otherwise have been a truly transformational industry from achieving its true potential.
We’ve gathered since then and we’ve attacked different topics and issues. We’ve had some of the best thinkers from our continent, standing on the NECLive stage, pitching ideas and solutions and proposing arguments and perspectives that did move the industry forward.
We were battling quality control, distribution, monetisation and globalisation, and so many other issues when NECLive debuted in 2013, as an intervention from the NeNOP editorial board. As I look back today, most of the issues that kept us up at night all those years have now largely been solved. Our talents are global. Our content is being monetised. Our music is recognised everywhere. Our film industry is doing really really good – the world is paying attention to us. But, as the old problems become a thing of the past, here come new challenges and issues that appear even more dangerous.
Technology continues to rapidly change how the game is played; it is clear we are not winning the distribution and monetisation war; and although our talents across film and music are gaining more recognition and being feted all over, it is difficult to draw a line between that and the commensurate commercial opportunities. Most of the IP is being wrested from vulnerable creators, and most of the infrastructure needed to truly derive value for creators and their backers either do not exist, or are plugged into avenues of exploitation. Hype is drowning true development, and celebrity culture, replacing true creation.
This is by no means a diagnosis. But if you observe with me, we can continue listing many more challenges and identifying blockers and plotting opportunities. Imagine what the next 20 years could look like if we did the right things, if we won the right battles?
I invite you all to join us on this journey to interrogate, to investigate, to brainstorm and to understand what we need to know and do in order to make sure that as the world listens and dances to our music; as the world enjoys our skits and sketches and ideas and everything we have to provide; as our talents climb the world stages and our managers and producers and directors and investors give all they have to give, it does not all come to naught. What is happening to and with our entertainment and creative industry is unprecedented, and many worked and prayed and hoped for a time like this. I know I did.
Now that we are seeing a glimpse of what is possible, how do we make sure that true value does come back home? How do we make sure we actually build something lasting and sustainable? How do we make sure that there is value for individuals, companies, governments, and institutions?
I’m proud to announce that NECLive returns with a commitment to work with everyone to address these issues and drive the necessary interventions, in addition to so many other efforts by well-meaning stakeholders. We will have several events across the country, across the continent, and in different parts of the world, with the hope that we can all play our parts in making sure we maximise the huge opportunity before us.
There is a big opportunity to influence the world. There is a big opportunity to build wealth. There is a big opportunity, big opportunity to demonstrate how this industry can and must be truly transformational in how our country and continent develop.
I invite you to join the conversation, and to join us at our flagship event on 28 November 2025, and all the other events around the world you’ll soon be hearing about.