Organisers target skills, monetisation and growth as summit brings creators, industry leaders together
A new platform aimed at strengthening Ibadan’s growing creative economy will bring creators, industry professionals and other stakeholders together on September 5 for the inaugural Ibadan Creators Summit 2026.
The summit, scheduled to hold at 3–5 Harvesters Drive, Ring Road, Ibadan, from 9:00 a.m., will focus on helping creatives transform their skills into sustainable careers and businesses.
With the theme, “Build. Monetize. Scale.”, the organisers say the event is designed to move beyond conventional motivational conversations and provide creators with practical knowledge for navigating different stages of their careers.
Convened by Amb. Dr Adesola Adeyemi, the summit is being positioned as a major gathering for Ibadan’s creator community, with emphasis on helping participants identify where they currently stand professionally and the steps required to move to the next level.
Adeyemi said the three-word theme was deliberately chosen to reflect a practical career progression for creators.
“Build. Monetize. Scale. Not motivation. Not vibes. Those three words are a career path, and I want every person who walks in to know exactly where they are standing on it,” he said.
According to the organisers, the summit will cater to creators at different stages of their journeys.
Those still developing their craft will be exposed to strategies for building strong foundations, while creators who have developed their skills but are yet to generate meaningful income will gain insights into monetisation.
For those already earning from their creative work, the focus will shift to growth, expansion and scaling their existing operations.
Building Ibadan’s creator economy
Beyond training and networking, the summit is also expected to draw attention to the wider creator economy in Ibadan, where photographers, filmmakers, designers, content creators, fashion entrepreneurs, writers, digital professionals, influencers and other creative practitioners are increasingly using their skills to generate income.
Adeyemi said the need to document and give greater visibility to the sector became more apparent when he attempted to find reliable data on Ibadan’s creator economy.
“When I went looking for data on the Ibadan creator economy, there was none. Nothing at city level. Nigeria has numbers. Lagos has numbers. Ibadan does not exist on paper,” he said.
The lack of city-level data, he argued, could have consequences beyond statistics, particularly when organisations, brands, government agencies and institutions are deciding where to direct funding, programmes and opportunities.
The summit, therefore, is expected to serve not only as a learning platform but also as part of a broader effort to make Ibadan’s creative community more visible and easier to identify.
For a city with a long history of producing influential figures across entertainment, media, arts and culture, the organisers believe a stronger and more organised creator ecosystem could help retain talent while creating new economic opportunities.
Why the summit is free
Another defining feature of the event is that attendance will be free.
Adeyemi said the decision was made to ensure that financial limitations do not prevent the creators who need the platform most from participating.
“The creator who needs this the most is usually the one who cannot afford a ticket. Charging at the door would have filtered out exactly the people I built this for,” he explained.
The organisers say the free-access model is intended to encourage participation from young and emerging creators, including those who are still trying to establish themselves and may not yet have the financial capacity to pay for industry events.
A different creative future for Ibadan
At the centre of the summit’s vision is the ambition to position Ibadan not simply as a place where creative talent originates, but as a city where creators can build viable and profitable careers.
Adeyemi said creators should not have to regard relocation to Lagos or other major commercial centres as the only route to professional success.
“Ibadan should be a place a creator moves to, not a place a creator leaves. I want a young person here to see somebody who looks like them, talks like them, still lives here, and is earning properly from what they make. Then the question stops being ‘how do I get to Lagos’ and becomes ‘how do I get to that level,’” Adeyemi said.
The summit will feature a broad lineup of speakers, including Salem King, Stella Matthew, Balogun Danjuma, Tessy Olotta, Kemi Deborah, Folashade Ogunyemi, Hon. Seyi Adisa, Samuel Okike, Folake Mighty, Adebayo Ibrahim, Alamu Akinkunmi, Ajoke Lasisi, Victoria Ajiboye, Ayo Adams, Babatunmise Agboola, Olivia Umeh, The Coach and Hon. Akinshete.
Their participation is expected to provide attendees with perspectives spanning different aspects of creativity, entrepreneurship, personal development, business growth and professional practice.
Pressdia joins as media partner
To extend the summit’s reach and ensure wider public awareness, Pressdia is serving as a media partner for the Ibadan Creators Summit 2026.
The partnership is expected to support publicity around the event while amplifying conversations about the opportunities and challenges facing creators in Ibadan.
For the organisers, the larger objective goes beyond a single event. The summit is intended to contribute to an ecosystem in which creators can access knowledge, identify opportunities, build networks and develop commercially sustainable careers without necessarily leaving the city.
As Nigeria’s creator economy continues to expand, the Ibadan Creators Summit comes at a time when questions around monetisation, professional development, visibility and access to opportunities are becoming increasingly important for creatives.
The September 5 gathering could therefore provide a platform for creators in the city to not only learn from established voices but also begin building a stronger collective identity around Ibadan’s creative economy.
The Ibadan Creators Summit 2026 will hold on September 5, 2026, at 3–5 Harvesters Drive, Ring Road, Ibadan, from 9:00 a.m.
For updates and further information, interested participants can follow @IbadanCreatorsSummit across social media platforms.