Olori Atuwatse III, spouse of the Olu of Warri, has challenged African leaders, buyers and enterprise executives to prioritise possession, funding and financial advantages within the continent’s artistic business, lamenting that Africa earns solely about $1 from each $100 generated by world commerce in artistic items.
She mentioned the continent should transfer past celebrating its cultural affect to making sure that African creators and their communities derive tangible financial advantages from their work.
The Warri Queen spoke on the second day of the Elevate Africa Convening 2026 in Accra, Ghana, the place stakeholders gathered to deliberate on the continent’s management, commerce, cultural affect and improvement beneath the theme, “Africa: Defining Her Future.”
“Our soft power should do more than make the world lean in. It should make the world buy in,” she mentioned, stressing the necessity for Africans to personal the manufacturers, mental property and business platforms by which their creativity reaches world markets.
She recognized Afrobeats, Nollywood and African trend as examples of the continent’s rising world cultural affect, noting that African music attracts audiences worldwide, Nollywood continues to inform African tales to worldwide audiences, whereas indigenous materials function prominently on world trend runways.
However, she questioned the financial returns accruing to African creators regardless of the rising worldwide demand for his or her merchandise.
“The rhythm is ours. The colour is ours. Too often, the receipt is made out to someone else,” she mentioned, asking, “Who owns the label? Who holds the rights? Who takes the profit home?”
She added that Africa should guarantee future generations inherit not solely its cultural traditions but additionally the establishments and enterprise constructions required to generate prosperity from them.
Drawing comparisons with the United States and South Korea, Olori Atuwatse III mentioned Africa might be taught from international locations which have efficiently reworked cultural merchandise into highly effective financial property.
She cited Hollywood, Korean skincare and Korean tv dramas as examples of how cultural affect might stimulate shopper demand and generate business alternatives.
“We came to believe their stories, and our money followed our belief. That is soft power, and Africa has an abundance of it,” she mentioned, calling for comparable methods to strengthen the worldwide attain of Afrobeats, Nollywood and indigenous African materials.
She urged governments, buyers and enterprise leaders to develop platforms and enterprise fashions that will allow African creatives to personal, distribute and revenue from their work moderately than surrendering a lot of the worth to exterior pursuits.
On youth improvement, the Olori expressed confidence within the capability of younger Africans to form the continent’s financial future however challenged political and enterprise leaders to match their ambition with sufficient help.
She noticed that younger folks had been more and more creating alternatives, constructing companies and creating options regardless of restricted entry to sources.
Noting that the median age of Africa’s inhabitants was about 19, she mentioned the continent’s youthful demographic offered huge alternatives if correctly harnessed.
“Our young people are moving. Are our institutions moving with them?” she requested, urging leaders to increase entry to capital and markets whereas creating establishments that permit younger folks to take part meaningfully in decision-making.
She mentioned the Elevate Africa Fellowship was among the many initiatives working to advance alternatives for younger Africans and known as on different establishments to help the hassle.
Olori Atuwatse III additionally known as for stronger connections between Africans on the continent and people within the diaspora, together with folks of African descent within the Caribbean, the Americas and different elements of the world.
Referring to discussions on reparatory justice at the day past’s Presidential Roundtable, she argued that restoring dignity to folks of African descent should embrace confronting detrimental perceptions and strengthening relationships inside the world African household.
Citing remarks by former Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim on the lack of dignity related to the transatlantic slave commerce, she mentioned the implications remained seen in institutional practices, know-how and on a regular basis social interactions.
“That loss of dignity was built by a narrative. And what one narrative built, another can rebuild,” she mentioned, insisting that Africans should start by altering how they understand and relate to 1 one other.
She notably criticised divisions between Africans on the continent and folks of African descent overseas, warning towards derogatory labels and attitudes that undermine a shared identification.
“When we reject each other, we reject ourselves. But when we accept each other, we accept ourselves. When we elevate each other, we elevate ourselves,” she mentioned.
The Warri Queen advocated sustained engagement, cultural exchanges and enterprise partnerships as sensible methods to rebuild belief, noting that non-public relationships might problem stereotypes and expose shared experiences.
Recalling the primary Homecoming organised within the Warri Kingdom two months earlier to mark the anniversary of the Olu’s coronation, she mentioned the initiative had begun creating lasting partnerships between the Kingdom and members of the diaspora.
She additional urged African governments to create an enabling surroundings for Black buyers from the West, drawing inspiration from the historic Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was destroyed in a racially motivated bloodbath in 1921.
She mentioned significant funding alternatives might assist construct stronger financial ties and establishments throughout the continent.
The Olori mentioned Elevate Africa was established to construct bridges between people, international locations and networks, enabling Africans to collectively outline and implement a improvement agenda that protects their dignity and advances shared prosperity.
She urged contributors to look past celebrating African traditions and the worldwide recognition of the continent’s artistic abilities to give attention to possession, funding and sustainable financial returns.
Also talking, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Abla Gomashie, mentioned the convening was aimed toward constructing a sturdy future for Africa and taking the continent to the following stage.
She mentioned that for generations, Africa had been portrayed globally as a supply of uncooked supplies, together with cocoa, gold and different minerals, regardless of the worth of its folks and their contributions.
“For generations, the African narrative has been rich in history, but the world looks at our resources through a singular lens, which has culminated in a narrow global perception of Africa as merely a source of raw materials and commodities like cocoa, gold and other minerals,” she mentioned.
Gomashie mentioned the gathering ought to present a possibility to vary that notion by recognising the worth of Africa’s folks and investing of their potential.
Other audio system included Nicole Asinugo, a board member of The Osahon Okunbo Foundation (TOOF), Ama Ofeibea Tetteh and Dr Slyleecia Thompson.
Highlights of the convening included the signing of the Accra Declaration by royal majesties and the presentation of a $25,000 cheque to Adekola Emmanuel, winner of the 2026 Thread of Africa.
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