Promoting creative entrepreneurship in Africa (Creative Africa 1, 2 and 3)

In Africa, the cultural and creative industries (CCI) are recording annual growth of 13.9%, contributing almost 3% to the continent's GDP, and generating over 2 million jobs. Yet initiatives in the sector remain largely individual or associative, with limited access to funding and little commitment from public authorities. This situation is hampering the emergence of a structured, economically viable and sustainable cultural ecosystem. It is against this backdrop that the Afrique Créative program was launched in 2018. Spearheaded by Africalia and financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), this program aims to support creative businesses in several African countries (Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda) by offering them personalized financial and technical support. The scheme is based on calls for projects, organized over three editions (2019, 2021 and 2023), resulting in the selection of 32 winners. Each winner received : - a development grant, - one-year technical support including: coaching by local incubators, e-learning training, business structuring seminars, fund-raising support, mentoring by creative experts and investors. Over and above direct support for entrepreneurs, Afrique Créative aims to raise awareness among African and European public and private players of the strategic importance of financing CCIs, and to promote cultural diversity.