Davido Urges Africans to Invest in Creative Industry at Africa CEO Forum

At the Africa CEO Forum 2025, Afrobeats star Davido called on African governments to invest in entertainment infrastructure, describing the creative industry as a major driver of growth, jobs, and identity.

Davido Calls for Major Investment in Africa’s Creative Industry at ACF 2025

At the Africa CEO Forum 2025 (#ACF2025), Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido delivered a powerful message to African leaders: the continent’s creative industry is not just culture—it is a serious engine of economic growth, innovation, and global influence.

Speaking before business executives, policymakers, and change-makers, the global music icon urged governments across Africa to invest in entertainment infrastructure, arguing that creativity has transformed how the world sees Africa.

Reflecting on his early experiences abroad, Davido recalled confronting stereotypes about the continent.
“Schooling in the U.S., I remember people asking me, ‘Do you guys use airports?’ I told them, any car you have in America, we also have it in Nigeria,” he said.
“The creative industry has taken the narrative of being African to another level. I’ve always been pro-Africa, even before I started making music.”

Davido’s own journey, he explained, is proof of the global power of African creativity.
“I could have stayed in America, but I moved back to Nigeria to do music. I started in Nigeria, and that music took me back to America. Now I’m selling out arenas and breaking records,” he said.
“But the goal is not validation from the U.S. or the UK. We should be making it here in Africa.”

A major challenge, he noted, is the lack of performance infrastructure across the continent.
“I’ve never done a stadium show in Nigeria—not because I can’t, but because the facilities aren’t there,” he said. “The music has grown to a level where we want to deliver performances like we do in Europe or the UK, but we can’t without the right infrastructure.”

While acknowledging progress in countries such as Rwanda and Senegal, Davido stressed that broader continental support is long overdue.
“I haven’t toured Africa properly in five or six years because we just don’t have the setups we need. That shouldn’t be the case,” he added.

Beyond live shows, he highlighted the challenges of producing world-class content on the continent.
“We shouldn’t have to travel abroad to use top studios or shoot videos that look like Miami. We can build that here,” he said, revealing that he has already built multiple studios in Lagos and plans to expand into film.

Davido also shared how his record label operated “almost like a charity” for years.
“I didn’t collect money from my artists for eight years. I just wanted them to create,” he said. “Afrobeats is now at a level where we’re investing heavily just to keep the culture looking good. But we can’t do it alone. Government needs to support us—especially upcoming artists.”

“God has blessed me, I can try for myself,” he added. “But there are thousands of talented young people who don’t have the means. They need support. They need infrastructure. They need systems.”

With entertainment now generating millions of jobs across music, film, fashion, digital media, and tech, Davido’s message underscored a growing reality: Africa’s creative economy is a powerful tool for youth empowerment, innovation, and long-term development—and it deserves serious investment.