Afreximbank arm buys into D'banj's CREAM to monetise African creative IP
What's the deal? CANEX Creations, a subsidiary of the African Export-Import BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has acquired an equity stake in CREAMDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the creator platform led by Afrobeats star Dapo Oyebanjo, known as D'banj. The parties did not disclose the size of the stake or the value of the investment.
Why now? The deal was formalised at CANEX WKND 2026 on November 6 in Lagos, following a term sheet signed in Abuja in June 2025. The event drew a record 17,000 registered participants.
What's the endgame? CANEX Creations was set up by the bank to invest in, develop, and commercialise African intellectual property. CREAM — Creative, Reality, Entertainment, Arts and Music — launched in 2016 with MTN NigeriaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the Bank of IndustryDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and says it has signed up more than seven million subscribers through its USSD code, website, and app.
The platform says it has monetised more than 3,000 pieces of music, comedy, dance, and art, and provided grants, studio sessions, and showcase opportunities to 16,668 creatives.
The money behind it: AfreximbankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has committed about $2 billion to Africa's creative and cultural industries and targeted at least $1 billion in capital commitments for the sector at this year's event. It also announced $118 million in financing arrangements for Nigeria's creative economy at CANEX WKND 2026.
The deal reflects a shift in the bank's support for the sector from debt and grants toward equity in platforms that can monetise content at scale. Under the partnership, Cinq Music Group will sign and develop 10 artists discovered through CREAM.
"CANEX Creations exists to turn Africa's creativity into lasting economic value," said Osahon Akpata, chief executive officer of CANEX Creations. "We expect our investment to accelerate its growth, connect more African talent with audiences and unlock greater commercial value from African creativity."
D'banj framed the sector's potential bluntly: "As I have always said, content is the new crude."
The signal: Institutional and commercial interest in African creative financing is growing, but the stake's significance will depend on whether it produces measurable growth for CREAM and its creators.
Read more: businessday.ng
Image credit: Festival Contato