Strathmore University Business School and The Burns Brothers have launched the Creative Economy Africa Institute, a Pan-African platform aimed at helping transform Africa’s cultural and creative industries into a larger source of employment, enterprise growth and global trade.
The partnership is targeting the creation of one million jobs across Africa by 2035 through training, mentorship, applied research, ecosystem development and stronger links between African creators and international markets.
Key Overview
- The Creative Economy Africa Institute aims to support one million jobs across Africa by 2035.
- Its first initiative will be Creative Economy 101, a digital learning programme.
- The course will initially focus on Kenya before expanding across the continent.
- The partnership combines Strathmore’s academic capabilities with practitioner-led industry expertise.
- Training, mentorship, research and Africa–United States knowledge exchange will form part of the wider model.
- The institute is entering a sector that still struggles with weak infrastructure, informality and limited value capture.
New Institute Aims to Turn Creativity Into Enterprise
The initiative brings together Strathmore University Business School and The Burns Brothers, a cross-continental advisory group focused on connecting African opportunities with partners in the United States and other markets.
The new institute is intended to address a persistent gap in Africa’s creative economy: talent is abundant, but the business structures needed to scale intellectual property, enterprises and exports remain uneven.
The partners say the institute will support creators, entrepreneurs, students, policymakers and business leaders by strengthening knowledge of the economics, business models and infrastructure behind creative industries.
The approach reflects a wider push to move the sector beyond individual success stories toward stronger commercial ecosystems. A recent United Nations analysis argued that Africa needs better business structures and training if creative talent is to produce sustainable livelihoods at scale.
Creative Economy 101 Will Lead the Rollout
The institute’s first initiative will be Creative Economy 101, a digital learning programme initially designed for Kenya before being expanded across Africa.
The course is expected to introduce participants to the commercial architecture behind industries such as music, film, fashion, sports, media, gaming, tourism and entertainment.
Organisers say it will be developed as a Pan-African certification programme focused on the economics and emerging opportunities within the continent’s creative industries.
A digital-first model could help extend access beyond major cities and established creative hubs, allowing entrepreneurs and students from different markets to participate without the cost of travelling for in-person instruction.
The programme is also expected to go beyond classroom learning by incorporating mentorship, experiential learning and connections to industry practitioners.
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Africa’s Creative Potential Remains Largely Untapped
The institute is launching as Africa’s cultural exports gain wider global attention but the continent continues to capture a relatively small share of the economic value generated by its creators.
The scale of the opportunity is substantial. A July 2026 United Nations analysis estimated that Africa’s creative economy is currently worth about US$60 billion and could reach US$200 billion by 2030 if supportive policies and investment are put in place.
However, the frequently cited estimate that Africa could generate US$20 billion and more than 20 million jobs applies specifically to the continent’s film and audiovisual industries, not to the whole creative economy.
That distinction matters because it shows that even one segment of the sector carries major employment potential. Yet weak financing, limited infrastructure, piracy, skills gaps and informal business practices continue to restrict growth.
Academic and Industry Expertise Will Work Together
The partnership is designed to combine Strathmore’s academic, research and teaching capabilities with The Burns Brothers’ experience in ecosystem building, partnerships and cross-continental business development.
That combination could help the institute bridge a gap that often weakens creative-sector programmes: education can provide structure and evidence, while industry practitioners can bring market access, commercial experience and current knowledge of how platforms operate.
The Burns Brothers already position their work around cross-continental partnerships and opportunity, including creative economy and infrastructure initiatives between Africa and the West.
The institute also plans to support Africa–United States knowledge exchange, potentially giving African entrepreneurs wider exposure to international business networks while helping foreign partners engage more effectively with African markets.
The One Million Jobs Goal Will Require Scale
The target of one million jobs by 2035 is ambitious and will depend on whether the initiative can expand beyond training into measurable business growth.
Courses and mentorship can strengthen skills, but large-scale employment will also require financing, stronger intellectual property systems, reliable digital infrastructure, access to regional markets and more formal business structures.
The institute’s long-term test will therefore be whether participants can turn learning into sustainable companies, exportable intellectual property and repeatable job creation.
If the partnership succeeds in linking education, enterprise support, research and international market access, it could help strengthen the commercial foundations needed for Africa’s creative industries to capture a larger share of the value they already generate.
Sources used: Capital News / The Online Kenyan / UNESCO / Africa Renewal / The Burns Brothers
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