Inspired
#ASPSummit2026: Funmilola Was in Nairobi for the Africa Soft Power Summit and Here Is How It Went
BellaNaija’s Funmilola attended the seventh edition of the Africa Soft Power Summit 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, where Rita Dominic, D’banj, Tomiwa Aladekomo, and Bolanle Austen-Peters led conversations on African creativity, female leadership, and economic ownership.
Funmilola at the 2026 Africa Soft Power Summit. Photo Credit: CreativelabAfrica
There is something that happens when you walk into a room full of people thinking seriously about Africa’s future. The conversations feel different. By the time you leave, you carry something that did not exist before you arrived. I was at the 2026 Africa Soft Power Summit in Nairobi, Kenya from 20 to 23 May, and I came back with more than content. I came back with perspective.
The Panels Were the Heart of It
What I appreciated most about the summit was that panellists did not come to perform. They came with practical, grounded insight — the sort you write down and return to weeks later. There were no empty motivational speeches. Just real people talking about real things.
At From Presence to Participation: African Women and the Economics of Access, TechCabal CEO Tomiwa Aladekomo made a point that stayed with me long after the session ended. Building more inclusive pathways to leadership for women requires structural change and consistent, intentional effort — and he is not saying it in theory. His organisation reflects it, with women occupying top senior leadership positions across the board.
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You only need to hear the applause that follows Rita Dominic into a room to understand how loved and respected she is. During The Female Economy: Africa’s Most Undervalued Growth Engine, she reflected on how far Nollywood has come — from the DVD era to the rise of streaming platforms — and the many challenges that came with that evolution. There were many memorable moments from her session, but one line cut through everything else. “Visibility will get you hired, but ownership will get you paid.” I wrote it down the moment she said it and I have not stopped sharing it since.
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The panel session: Creators As Economic Power: How Influencers, Artists and Storytellers Are Shaping Africa’s Global Position opened with an intriguing question. When you think of Africa’s creative exports, what comes to mind first? Music, film, fashion, sports, content, visual arts — the answers are wide and layered. But a bigger question sits underneath all of that: are we selling our identity as exports, and are we actually consuming our own content? That conversation needed to happen.
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D’banj‘s session gave us one of the clearest articulations of what has shifted in African music. He spoke about how the industry has learned to love itself more, and how that self-love is now showing up in the sound, the stories, and the confidence with which African artists take up space globally. To close his session, he performed “Fall in Love” for the audience and they immediately got on their feet. You really had to be there.
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His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, was in attendance, as he has been for past editions — a consistent show of support for a summit that continues to grow in significance across the continent.
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The Days Were Full. So Were the Evenings
Now you might be wondering, was it all conference with lots and lots to talk about? Nope, it was not. In the evening after the first day of the conference, there was Women Unscripted: Off The Record — an intimate gathering celebrating remarkable women shaping culture, business, creativity and leadership across the continent and beyond. There was a book reading, a private screening of “La Femme Anjola,” the 2021 psychological thriller directed by Mildred Okwo and starring Rita Dominic, good wine, and conversations that carried well into the night.
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The second evening brought something just as memorable. A private gathering with ASP 2026 Culture Shifters, Dye Lab — one of Africa’s most compelling fashion brands on a mission to scale local designs into global growth. The evening featured a fireside conversation with Dye Lab founder Rukky Ladoja, moderated by Beverley Spencer–Obatoyinbo, Independent Non-Executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya and Founder of Pumbaa Farmhouse & Cottages, unpacking the journey of building a brand that balances creative identity with commercial growth. There was shopping too.
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One of the summit’s most significant moments came when Bolanle Austen–Peters received the Architect of the Future Award. The theatre director, producer, and founder of Terra Kulture has spent decades building infrastructure for African arts and culture. The recognition felt earned in the most specific way — not just for what she has achieved, but for how consistently she has shown up for the work.
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Nairobi Felt Like Home
I did not expect to feel as at home in Nairobi as I did, but the city reminded me of Lagos almost immediately. It was busy, warm, and full of life. A few things caught my attention as I explored. The driving system is on the right, which takes a moment to adjust to coming from Nigeria. Kenya has a remarkable giraffe population, something we experienced firsthand at the Giraffe Centre, one of the most delightful parts of the entire trip. The country is also widely known as the birthplace of the safari experience, and our visit to Nairobi National Park brought that to life in the most unexpected way — guinea fowl, ostriches, vultures, giraffes, impalas, and several rhinoceroses, all within the boundaries of a capital city. And if that were not enough, Kenya also produces some of the fastest long-distance runners in the world
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I left Nairobi genuinely inspired — not in the vague way that sometimes follows a conference, but in the specific, practical way that comes from hearing people speak truthfully about what they have built and what still needs building. The Africa Soft Power Summit is not a talking shop. It is a room where real ideas meet real commitment and I’m so glad BellaNaija was a media partner.
