Africa could miss out on more than KSh19 trillion in annual economic value by the end of the decade unless governments, businesses and creatives strengthen protections around intellectual property and indigenous knowledge, a new cultural institution has warned.
The warning comes as global demand for African-inspired fashion, art, music, design and traditional knowledge continues to grow, raising fresh concerns about who ultimately benefits from the continent's cultural assets.
According to projections by global consulting firm BCG, Africa's creative economy could generate between $150 billion and $160 billion (approximately KSh19.4 trillion to KSh20.7 trillion) annually by 2030 if supported by stronger investment, legal protections and ownership structures.
Yet despite the rapid expansion of the global creative sector, Africa remains a relatively small player in terms of earnings.
Data cited from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows global creative services exports reached $1.4 trillion (KSh181.3 trillion) in 2022, while creative goods exports stood at $713 billion (KSh92.4 trillion).
In comparison, Africa accounted for just 1.5 per cent of the global creative economy that year, exporting $2.4 billion (KSh311 billion) in creative goods and $4 billion (KSh518 billion) in creative services.
The figures have fuelled growing debate over how African countries can better commercialise cultural products and ensure local communities retain ownership of the value generated from traditional knowledge, designs and creative works.
Speaking during the launch of pan-African cultural institution ÀLKÉ on Tuesday, founder Lulu Shabell argued that Africa continues to generate cultural innovation while much of the economic value created from it is captured elsewhere.
"Africa has always been a source of cultural innovation, but too often the systems that turn that innovation into lasting economic value are built elsewhere," said Shabell.
"ÀLKÉ exists to help change that by building institutions that protect authorship, support enterprise, and create durable economic benefit from African cultural intelligence."
The institution unveiled a framework aimed at strengthening ownership of African cultural assets through intellectual property protections, licensing mechanisms, enterprise development and long-term investment structures.
The launch comes at a time when African governments are increasingly looking to creative industries as a source of jobs, exports and economic growth.
From music and film to fashion, crafts and digital content, the sector has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of the global economy. However, industry players have repeatedly raised concerns over weak intellectual property enforcement, limited financing and inadequate systems for monetising cultural assets.
ÀLKÉ noted that many communities continue to struggle to commercialise and protect cultural heritage despite growing international demand for African-inspired products and creative content.
The institution plans to focus on preserving indigenous design knowledge, supporting creative ventures and developing financing models designed to generate long-term returns from cultural assets.
Its proposal also draws on existing legal frameworks already in place across Africa.
In Kenya, the Constitution recognises culture as the foundation of the nation and provides for the protection of intellectual property rights, including measures to ensure communities benefit from the use of their cultural heritage.
At the regional level, the Swakopmund Protocol under the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) offers legal protections against the unauthorised exploitation of traditional knowledge and folklore.
According to ÀLKÉ, such frameworks demonstrate growing recognition that cultural heritage should be treated not only as a social asset but also as an economic one capable of generating long-term value.
"At the center of ÀLKÉ's vision is the belief that Africa is not entering the global creative economy as a newcomer, but as one of its original authors," the institution said.
The organisation said it plans to introduce additional programmes focused on education, venture development, craft preservation and funding mechanisms for creative enterprises in the coming months.
Its launch adds to a broader conversation across the continent about how Africa can capture a larger share of the rapidly expanding global creative economy and prevent cultural wealth from flowing overseas.
