Entertainment Week Africa puts grant money behind creative start-ups
Businesses in EWA's 2026 Deal Room will compete for grants paid out at the Lagos event in November. A survey of 377 Nigerian creatives named affordable funding their biggest barrier.
Lagos — Entertainment Week Africa (EWA) has created a grant pool for creative businesses in its 2026 Deal Room programme, BusinessDay reports. The grants will be paid during EWA 2026 in Lagos, which runs from 17 to 22 November.
The amount has not been disclosed. Businesses in the cohort receive mentorship and are assessed by a jury; those judged to have strong growth potential will be eligible.
Lead mentor Kemdi Ebi said many creative entrepreneurs have strong ideas but lack commercial preparation and connections to investors. He described the pool as "our way of putting actual capital behind the businesses that show they can use it".
Why it matters
A 2026 survey of 377 Nigerian creatives found that access to affordable funding was the biggest structural barrier to growth.
Last year's results
- More than 178 companies applied to the 2025 Deal Room; nine reached the accelerator stage.
- Four attracted live investor interest, and the programme contributed to N25 million in funding.
- Alumni include Aktivate, Atsur, FriendnPal, Growwr, Prop'ly and Sports Reels. Tele Lawal of Kouture Paradisé used EWA connections to expand sales to the US, UK and Sweden.
The Deal Room covers music, film and television, fashion and beauty, AI and technology, art and animation, and live events. This year's theme is "Closing the Gap".
Source: BusinessDay, reporting by Destiny Chiedu, 17 October 2026.
