ABC Conference 2025: Beyond Borders”A Defining Moment for African Creatives”

There are moments in life when you feel something shift. Not just in the room, but inside you. The ABC Conference 2025 was one of those moments. If I had to choose one word to capture the weight of it all. the transformation, the tears, the clarity, the breakthroughs, the networks formed, the courage awakened, the visions renewed it would be impactful.

This year’s theme, Beyond Borders: Connecting African Creativity to the Global Stage, wasn’t just printed on banners and name tags. It became the lived experience of everyone who walked through those doors. From November 24 to 27, creatives from across Nigeria and beyond gathered in Lagos for something that felt less like a conference and more like a homecoming, a stirring, a call to rise higher.

The Beginning: Cocktails and Quiet Awakenings

The conference opened quietly on November 24 with an intimate cocktail reception at Hive by Zen. The opportunity to meet the speakers before the stages were set, before the microphones went live, before the notebooks came out. 

Day One: When the Room Woke Up

The energy on November 25 was amazing. Yagazie Eguare, the convener of the ABC Conference started by stating how mentorship helped her build the Gazmadu we see today by telling her not to give up as there is always someone out there who needs what you are creating. She ended by saying that she hoped the one person the conference was created for would see the value for which it was created. 

Isaac Emokpae gave the keynote session on global creative leadership that set the tone for everything that followed. He reminded the room of something we often forget: Africa is not behind. Africa is becoming. There was no apology in his voice, only clarity and conviction. It was the kind of speech that doesn’t just inform you; it reorients you.

Tolani Alli took the stage next, and the room leaned in. The Senior Visual Lead at the World Bank Group settled into conversation with moderator Yagazie Eguare, and what unfolded was something rare. 

She spoke in truths that landed like gentle blows to the chest. “If you want light, carry light,” she said. “You are not one of a million; you are one in one.” 

The afternoon brought panel sessions on art and entrepreneurship, where conversations centered on discipline, staying true through the wilderness seasons, and the power of building people rather than just building portfolios. The message was unmistakable: your purpose is tied to how well you serve, how generously you give, and how intentionally you build others.

The CEO and Co-Founder of Sycamore didn’t ease into his session, he disrupted it. He redefined illiteracy not as the inability to read, but as lacking knowledge in your area of purpose. 

DayTwo

The second day was an immersion into practical learning, hands-on exercises, and creative expansion. Isaac Emokpae stretched the room’s understanding of what it means to scale. Scaling, he said, isn’t about doing more work but it’s about having more time for yourself. He warned against starving the thing that gives you money and emphasized that without a personal growth structure, even your passion will eventually drain you.

Kahli Brown from Fujifilm led a hands-on Impact Project Workshop that pulled people out of theory and into practice.Many attendees later described it as transformative not just educational, but experiential.

Henry Oji – BIGH closed with a session on breaking the limits of creativity through storytelling, revisiting the essence of photography: light. How it directs emotion, story, and meaning. His approach was a reminder that creativity is more spiritual than mechanical, that the best work comes not from mastering tools but from seeing clearly. 

DayThree: Legacy and the Long Game

The final day turned its attention to what remains when the lights go off and the crowds go home: legacy. Kahli Brown started by leading a hands-on Impact Project Workshop and participants stepped outside to shoot live with Fujifilm gear, exploring how to create impact-driven projects that travel beyond borders. 

Felix Crown gave an AI Masterclass. The AI masterclass didn’t ease people into the future, it yanked them there. Felix didn’t come to ease people into the future, he came to wake them up to it. “Scaling is spiritual,” he declared. “Talent is everywhere; systems are the differentiators. People using AI will replace people who are not.” 

Ngozi Ukwenyi delivered an exceptional session on financing for creative entrepreneurs, showing practical ways to access funding and build sustainable growth. 

Choice Okweku spoke about business structure and scaling, but she framed it in a way that felt deeply personal. “My true nature as a creative is authenticity,” she said. “I want my legacy to be that I built a business that built people.” She walked through systems, client onboarding, financial operations, people management, delivery processes, policies, and culture, not as dry logistics but as the architecture of impact.

When Dayo Adedayo stepped forward, the room grew still. A veteran with 37 years and counting in photography, his voice carried the weight of time. His voice carried the weight of time. He urged the room to preserve culture, beauty, history, and identity through their lenses. It was less a presentation and more a passing of the torch.

The conference closed with the Impact Project Pitch Competition, where Seyi Alawuh won a ₦1,000,000 grant sponsored by Gazmadu Ltd. Throughout the day, other participants won gifts through quizzes and Q&A sessions, but the real prize was the clarity and courage people left with.

The Partners Who Believed

None of this would have been possible without the partners who believed in African creativity before it was convenient: Fujifilm, Camera Joint, DAP Experience Centre, FilmbyDT, Eventpadi, ProductDive, Laptop Space, Hollyland, Zen Studios, Ulanzi, and Gazmadu Studios. Our headline partner, Fujifilm, went all out, we had Richard Lackey attending in person and Kahli Brown facilitated. Their investment wasn’t just financial; it was relational. It was belief made visible.

What It Left Behind

When participants were asked to describe the conference in one word, the top responses were impactful, transformative, and life-changing. 

Verona

“ABC Conference changed my life. Mrs Yagazie’s opening speech reminded me that I am the ‘one person’ this was created for. Every session pushed me to stop waiting for opportunities and start seeking them. A truly life-shifting experience.”

Ogaga Ejayeta Precious

“The biggest lesson for me was learning to live beyond photography. Isaac’s session helped me confront my fear of success. It was deeply engaging and full of wisdom. A solid 10/10.”

ABC Conference 2025 was not merely an event. It was a mirror, a revival, a reintroduction to self, a gathering of vision, a turning point. It was not a moment, but a movement. And it’s only just beginning.

BellaNaija is a Media Partner for ABC Conference 2025