Nigeria, France synergy to equip African creatives with tech tools

…How AI AR, AV may aid correct African narratives

…As Globacom throws support behind Africa’s most promising talents

By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor

How to carve a synergy between technology and creative arts was the centre of discussions recently in Lagos, at this year’s Forum Création Africa.

The Forum is an initiative of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, organized by MansA (Maison des Mondes Africains), to foster dialogue and collaboration between Africa and Europe.

The event brought together stakeholders from across the cultural and creative industries, providing a valuable platform for exchange, inspiration, and partnership.

The event also saw to the honour of most promising African talents for creating compelling stories and narratives that highlights African creativity and prowess. Incidentally, one of Africa’s notable philanthropists and Chairman Nigeria-based telecom Company, Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga jr, picked the bills.

Held from 16th to 18th October 2025 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, the forum, in its second edition, celebrated outstanding innovation and originality in areas such as video games, digital fashion, television series, webtoons, animation, and immersive technologies including Artificial Intelligence, AI, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). 

A key highlight of the event took place on 17th October, when participants engaged in an industry-focused session entitled “From Idea to Business: How to Put Creativity at the Heart of the Game.” The session featured insights from leading Nigerian business figures, including renowned banker and entrepreneur Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.

He shared perspectives on the convergence of creativity, artificial intelligence, and business success saying that a proper deployment of Artificial Intelligence tools could help spur success within the expanding creative economy.

Aig-Imoukhuede was not alone. In another session, “African Minds, Global Machines: What Does AI Really Mean for Creatives on the Continent?”  which saw digital artists and tech innovators explore the ethical, cultural, and artistic implications of AI on the continent’s creative industries, creators were charged to see Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for enhancing their ability and innovation rather than a threat to originality and human creativity.

Senegalese digital artist, Hussein Dembel, said the rise of AI represents both an opportunity and a moral test for the creative world.

According to him, “There will be a shift in the way we think as creatives. If you can think it, you can make it. AI allows us to bring imagination to life faster than ever before.

“We are heading to a world where films can be made 100 per cent by AI. It’s frightening because some of that technology already exists.

“But will audiences pay to watch content without the human touch? We’re so in tune with human emotion that resistance will definitely come.”

Dembel’s argument was that although AI tools can enhance post-production work in filmmaking such as visual effects and green screen editing, making artists more productive, ethical questions about originality and copyright may however, become more urgent issues to tackle.

He added that while some creators are licensing their artworks for AI training, protecting copyright in the AI era remains very hard and slippery, as lines between human and machine-generated work continue to blur.

Also, founder of Swift XR, Hammed Arowosegbe, said the future of African creativity with AI depends on education and responsible use.

For him, “Africa must use it to tell its own stories. Education is crucial, because we need to go from being consumers of technology to creators. The more context and precision you give AI, the more powerful your output becomes.”

He advised that creators should not outsource their minds or delegate their autonomies to AI but should always cross-validate what AI gives them.  “AI is not the ultimate answer, it’s a middleman. Creatives must deeply understand their fields to effectively prompt it in meaningful ways,” he added.

He predicted a trend in which society would first pivot and over-rely on AI, only to rediscover the irreplaceable value of human touch and ingenuity because even today, the best works are those with a fusion of AI and human creativity.

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