Experts in the creative industry have called for stronger intellectual property (IP) protection and increased investment in African creative talent as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the global creative sector.

They made the call during a panel session titled “Artificial Intelligence and Animation: IP, Authorship, and Ethics” at the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) 2026.

The event was held on the sidelines of CANEX 2026 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos.

Emeka Onyia, Director of Digital Business and Innovation at Afreximbank, said African governments needed policies to prepare their countries for an economy increasingly driven by AI.

Onyia said the technology would affect virtually every sector, making it important for countries to invest in talent development and protect their digital sovereignty.

He noted that workplace changes, including job losses in major organisations, underscored the need to reassess the skills taught to young people.

According to him, the focus should be on equipping young Africans with skills to produce quality work and compete internationally.

Roye Okupe, Founder of YouNeek Studios, said protecting artists and their intellectual property should be a key safeguard in adopting generative AI in the creative industry.

Okupe, who has a computer science background, expressed concern that artists whose works were used to train AI systems were not necessarily benefiting from the technology.

He said safeguards were needed to protect creative works and ensure artists retained the right to create and benefit from their intellectual property.

Okupe also raised concerns about AI’s potential effects on employment, human creativity and the environment, noting that the technology was evolving rapidly.

He said innovation should be measured by how well it improved human welfare.

Malik Afegbua, a filmmaker, AI artiste and creative technologist, said Africa needed a stronger creative ecosystem to preserve and promote its cultural heritage in the age of AI.

Afegbua said much African cultural material was already available online, making it difficult to rely solely on efforts to prevent its use.

He argued that building local creative infrastructure and supporting African artists would provide a more sustainable way to protect the continent’s cultural identity.

He called for stronger distribution systems, increased support for local animation and film productions, and greater investment in African stories.

Afegbua also urged audiences to support emerging creatives by purchasing their works and contributing to crowdfunding initiatives.

He said such support would help build an industry less dependent on external funding and distribution.

The panel was facilitated by Muyiwa Kayode, Founder and Festival Director of LIFANIMA.

Other panellists included Samia Chelbi, Head of Innovation at DigiArtLivingLab, Tunisia, and Erem Emeka Nehemiah, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of House of Ajebo. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Vivian Ihechu