Fidelity Bank Backs Africa’s Creative Economy at CANEX WKND 2026

Fidelity Bank Plc reinforced its commitment to Africa’s growing creative economy as an Official Trade Partner at CANEX WKND 2026, held from 5 to 8 November 2026 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos.

The four-day event brought together creative entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders to explore opportunities across Africa’s rapidly evolving creative industries.

Speaking to journalists at the event, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said the Bank’s participation reflected its commitment to building sustainable creative enterprises.

“Fidelity Bank is pleased to be here, as our participation reflects our commitment to growing Africa’s creative economy. Africa is blessed with extraordinary creative talent, but talent alone does not automatically translate into successful businesses,” she said.

“Creative entrepreneurs need financial capital and the right funding to grow. But we must think about capital more broadly. This means investing in human capital, productive capital, social and market capital, and institutional capital — the business structures, financial identity and discipline required for sustainable enterprise.”

At the Fidelity CreatiVerse Pavilion, visitors experienced a vibrant showcase of Nigerian creativity featuring fashion brands OHIOLE LAGOS and SuperDiva by Valerie, as well as works by visual artistes Emmanuel Anaiye Ifebunmi and Donald Onuoha.

Beyond showcasing talent, the pavilion served as a platform for business engagement, with the Bank’s experts providing information on SME financing, digital payments, cards, trade and export solutions, account opening and other onboarding services.

A major highlight was the SME Banking-led masterclass themed, “Beyond Funding: Building the Infrastructure for Africa’s Creative Economy,” which attracted over 120 participants.

The session examined key challenges facing creative enterprises, including access to finance, production infrastructure, skills development, market access and long-term sustainability.

Central to the discussion was CreatiVerse at the Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada, Lagos, the Bank’s proposition providing creative entrepreneurs with access to production facilities, learning opportunities and collaborative spaces.

Featuring music, photography, podcast and content production studios, alongside training and business development opportunities, CreatiVerse reflects Fidelity Bank’s ecosystem approach to supporting creatives beyond conventional financial services.

The Bank is also expanding opportunities for Nigerian businesses seeking international markets through its trade and export banking services and initiatives such as the Fidelity Nigeria International Trade and Creative Connect (FNITCC), which connects Nigerian enterprises with international buyers, investors and strategic partners.

Through this combination of financial solutions, capacity development, business infrastructure and market access, Fidelity Bank continues to support stronger and more commercially sustainable creative businesses.

About Fidelity Bank Plc

Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 14 million customers through digital banking channels, 255 business offices in Nigeria and its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international awards, including the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Innovation Award for MSME support; Best Retail and SME Bank Award from Independent Newspapers; Best Bank for Export & Trade Finance and Most Innovative Bank of the Year at the 2025 BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; and Nigeria’s Best Private Bank at the 2025 Euromoney Awards.