Nigeria has called on African countries to speed up implementation of the African Union's plan for cultural and creative industries, after it emerged that not a single member state has ratified the statute for a continental film commission.

No ratifications yet

The issue was raised at a ministerial roundtable on Africa's cultural and creative industries at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND 2026) in Lagos on Thursday, 5 November. Amma Twum-Amoah, the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, represented at the meeting by Sabelo Lyndon Mbokazi, said the process of establishing the African Audiovisual and Cinema Commission was facing delays because no African Union member state had completed ratification of its statute.

The statute requires 15 member states to ratify it before the institution can enter into force. Kenya and Ghana had signed the instrument, but neither had completed the ratification process at the time of the meeting. Mbokazi urged member states to sign, ratify and deposit the statute without delay so the commission can become operational.

Beyond policy declarations

Nigeria's Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, called on African countries to move beyond policy commitments to practical investments and partnerships that would enable their creative industries to innovate, compete and capture greater economic value.

The roundtable, held under the theme "From Commitments to Implementation: Accelerating Global Africa's Culture and Creative Industries in the Age of AI and Innovation", was part of CANEX WKND 2026, which ran from 5 to 8 November at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Lagos. The event was organised by Afreximbank through its Creative Africa Nexus programme, in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, the African Union Commission and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.

[Source: businessday.ng](https://businessday.ng/uncategorized/article/african-film-commission-stalls-as-member-states-delay-ratification/) | [Source: simpsonglobalmedia.com.ng](https://www.simpsonglobalmedia.com.ng/2026/11/nigeria-calls-for-faster-african-union.html)