From Lagos to Riyadh: The Rise of a New Afro-Arab Creative Powerhouse
19 October 2026Comments (0)Business, Featured Like
Africa has the stories. The Gulf has growing ambitions to finance and distribute them. From Nigeria’s prolific film industry to Saudi Arabia’s expanding cinema ecosystem, a new network of cultural and commercial partnerships is taking shape. Film festivals, investment funds and streaming platforms are bringing African filmmakers closer to Arab audiences, opening opportunities for an industry long constrained by limited financing and fragmented distribution.
The numbers illustrate the potential. According to UNESCO’s 2021 report on the African film industry, Nollywood produces approximately 2,500 films annually, making Nigeria one of the world’s most prolific film-producing countries. Across Africa, the film and audiovisual sector generates an estimated $5 billion in annual revenue, according to figures cited by UNESCO, despite persistent challenges involving piracy, infrastructure and access to capital.
Meanwhile, Gulf countries are investing heavily in entertainment as part of broader economic diversification strategies. Saudi Arabia reopened commercial cinemas in 2018 after a decades-long prohibition, while its Red Sea International Film Festival, established in Jeddah in 2021, has developed into a meeting point for filmmakers, producers and investors from the Arab world, Africa and beyond.
The relationship is increasingly moving beyond film screenings and distribution agreements. Financing initiatives, production grants and international project markets are creating opportunities for African filmmakers to develop projects with partners in the Gulf.
Capital meets creativity: the Gulf’s growing interest in African cinema
Saudi Arabia’s entertainment ambitions are closely tied to Vision 2030, the kingdom’s economic diversification programme. Beyond expanding domestic cinema infrastructure, the country is positioning itself as a financing and networking hub for international film production.
The Red Sea Film Foundation provides one of the clearest examples of this strategy. Through its Red Sea Fund, the organisation supports film projects at different stages of development, production and post-production, including works by African and Arab filmmakers.
The results are increasingly visible at major film festivals. In February 2025, nine projects supported by the foundation were presented at the Berlin International Film Festival or its associated industry market. They included The Heart Is a Muscle, a South African drama directed by Imran Hamdulay, and Ancestral Visions of the Future, a documentary by Lesotho-born filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese.
These examples demonstrate how Gulf-based institutions are helping African productions gain access to financing and international visibility. However, financial support does not automatically constitute a formal coproduction: the distinction depends on the contractual and production arrangements of each project.
Some projects already illustrate deeper cross-regional involvement. The Mother of All Lies, directed by Morocco’s Asmae El Moudir, lists Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar among its production countries. Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters similarly brought together production partners from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Europe.
Such collaborations provide a more concrete picture of the emerging Afro-Arab audiovisual ecosystem than investment announcements alone.
Beyond cinema: streaming, music and new audiences
Digital distribution is another important factor in the relationship between African and Arab creative industries.
Streaming platforms have reduced some of the geographical barriers that previously limited the circulation of films, television series and music. Services such as Shahid, operated by MBC Group, have helped expand digital entertainment distribution across the Middle East and North Africa, while international platforms have made African productions accessible to wider audiences.
However, reaching viewers across both regions remains a commercial challenge. Language, licensing arrangements, subscription affordability and audience preferences all influence whether a production can succeed beyond its domestic market.
Music offers another avenue for cultural exchange. Nigerian Afrobeats and South African amapiano have gained international recognition, creating opportunities for African artists, promoters and music companies to reach audiences in the Gulf.
Anghami illustrates the development of the region’s digital music infrastructure. Founded in Lebanon in 2012, the streaming company established its headquarters in Abu Dhabi and became publicly traded on Nasdaq in February 2022. Its expansion reflects the growing importance of regional platforms in music licensing, digital distribution and artist promotion.
Yet the commercial relationship between African music industries and Gulf entertainment businesses remains less documented than the global popularity of African genres. Concert appearances and streaming availability demonstrate audience interest, but should not be confused with evidence of large-scale joint investment or production.
Institutional support and the economics of collaboration
The expansion of Africa’s creative economy is also attracting greater attention from development finance institutions.
One of the most significant initiatives is Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), launched in 2020 by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The programme aims to support African creative industries through financing, infrastructure development, capacity building and international market access.
In October 2024, Afreximbank announced plans to increase its CANEX financing facility from $1 billion to $2 billion over the following three years. The initiative covers sectors including film, music, fashion and sports, reflecting growing institutional recognition of creative industries as potential
On the Gulf side, the Red Sea Souk has become a platform for connecting filmmakers with potential financiers and production partners. Its 2025 project market selected 40 film and television projects, including 24 projects in development or production, eight works in progress and eight episodic projects.
Together, these initiatives address complementary needs. African producers frequently face financing and distribution constraints, while Gulf-based institutions are seeking to develop international partnerships, strengthen production capabilities and expand their cultural influence.
Egypt and North Africa also occupy an important position in this evolving landscape. Their established film industries, Arabic-language markets and connections with both African and Middle Eastern production networks create opportunities for collaboration. The involvement of Egyptian, Moroccan and Tunisian partners in internationally financed films illustrates how these relationships can operate across several countries rather than through a simple Lagos-to-Riyadh corridor.
A promising market, but significant barriers remain
Despite these developments, Afro-Arab creative partnerships face considerable structural challenges.
Film and television coproductions require agreements covering financing, intellectual property, creative control, revenue sharing and distribution rights. Differences in national regulations, content restrictions and production standards can complicate negotiations, particularly for independent producers without extensive legal or commercial re
Language presents another challenge. Nigeria’s film industry produces content in English and several local languages, while much of the Gulf’s mainstream television market is Arabic-speaking. Subtitling, dubbing and culturally adapted marketing therefore remain essential to reaching audiences across both regions.
There is also a difference between supporting African films and building sustainable African production industries. International grants can help individual projects reach completion, but long-term growth requires stronger local financing systems, technical training, production infrastructure and reliable distribution networks.
For Gulf investors, commercial success will depend on identifying projects withng that cultural proximity automatically translates into demand
Nevertheless, the foundations of a broader partnership are becoming more visible. Saudi film funds are supporting African directors, international project markets are bringing producers together, and African financial institutions are expanding their commitments to the creative economy.
The next stage will depend on whether these initiatives produce sustained investment, recurring partnerships and films that succeed commercially across multiple markets.
From Lagos to Jeddah, Cairo and Riyadh, the opportunity is no longer simply to export African stories. It is to build the financing, production and distribution networks that allow African and Arab creative industries to grow together.
afreximbank, African cinema, African film industry, CANEX, Gulf investment, nollywood, Red Sea Film Festival, saudi arabia, streaming platforms, Vision 2030
Business, Featured From Lagos to Riyadh: The Rise of a New Afro-Arab Creative Powerhouse
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