WITTY GLOBAL BLOGS | THURSDAY FLAGSHIP EDITION Africa's $2 Billion Creative Economy Financing Push: What Nigerian Filmmakers, Musicians and Digital Creators Need to Know By Itoro Uwah | Thursday, November 12, 2026 CREATIVE ECONOMY | BUSINESS | TECHNOLOGY | INVESTMENT LAGOS, NIGERIA — Africa's creative economy is attracting renewed attention from development financiers and policymakers, following the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 gathering in Lagos from November 5 to 8. Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and hosted by Nigeria, the gathering brought together creative entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and cultural-industry professionals to explore financing, intellectual property, technology and market access. Afreximbank's CANEX financing ambition has expanded to $2 billion, reflecting a growing institutional effort to support African cultural and creative enterprises. However, the figure must be understood correctly...
THE FIRST TRANSACTION: Why Your Life Started with a Scream (And Why That’s Good News)
An Analysis of Chapter 2 of "The Compulsory Marketplace" by Itoro Sunday Uwah
Have you ever wondered why no baby is born laughing?
We enter the world with a sound, but it is not a chant, it is not a giggle, and it is not a speech. It is a Cry.
In Chapter 2 of The Compulsory Marketplace, titled "The First Cry – Life’s Painful Welcome," I deconstruct this biological mystery through an economic lens.
The cry is not an accident. It is the First Transaction.
The Womb vs. The World
For nine months, you lived in the "Womb Economy." Everything was free. Oxygen was supplied. Food was automatic. Warmth was guaranteed. You were a Passive Consumer.
But the moment of birth is an eviction notice. You are pushed out of the "Free Zone" into the Compulsory Marketplace.
That first scream is the shock of the new reality. It is your body saying: "I am no longer safe. I must now work to exist."
Pain as a Teacher, Not a Thief
Society tells us that pain is bad. We take painkillers, we avoid awkward conversations, we run from challenges. We want the gain without the grit.
But as I wrote in Chapter 2:
"Pain is not the enemy. It is the market bell that signals your arrival."
The cry forces the lungs to expand. It forces the mother to pay attention. It forces the doctor to act.
Your pain is a signal.
If you are feeling pressure right now—in your business, your finances, or your career—do not run from it. That pressure is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of Birth.
From Crying to Crawling
The chapter ends with a crucial shift. The child does not stay in the cry. Eventually, the cry turns into curiosity. The curiosity turns into crawling. The crawling turns into walking.
You cannot skip the cry and go straight to the walk.
The King's Conclusion
If you are going through a "Painful Welcome" in 2026, stop trying to crawl back into the womb of comfort. The womb is closed. The Market is open.
Scream if you must. But after you scream, make sure you start moving.
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