Skills Development Is No Longer Optional In Africa’s Creative Sector

From the steady roar of Nollywood productions to Nairobi fresh productions, African animators and digital storytellers are catching eyes on worldwide screens, and no one can ignore how fast the continent’s creative boom is spreading.

Yet under that excitement, a serious problem sits unaddressed: the gap between unpolished passion and skills that serve jobs.  Across Africa, thousands of young dreamers want to work in film, television, music, games, animation, and online content.

They already carry bold ideas and rich stories, but far too many lack access to step-by-step training built by industry insiders. That mismatch is not only blocking individual careers; it is quickly jamming the growth engine of a whole sector.

In 2024, International Labour Organization estimated that Africa’s Cultural and Creative Economy was valued at approximately $20 billion and according to Africa Trade Report of 2022  by 2030, Africa is projected to produce up to 10% of global exports of creative goods, valued at around $20 billion (or 4% of Africa’s GDP), and could create more than 20 million work opportunities a testament to the sector’s growing contribution to the continent’s development.

However, a significant proportion of these jobs remain informal, with many creatives self-taught and under-resourced.  A joint study by the African Union and the African Development Bank further found that over 70% of youth in the sector lack formal training, resulting in limited employability and inconsistent content quality.

While creativity can’t be taught, craft certainly can. Technical training in cinematography, sound engineering, editing, screenwriting, or production management is essential not only to meet global standards but also to professionalise the sector and create sustainable livelihoods.

Investing in creative skills is an economic imperative.  The global creative economy is worth over $2 trillion, and Africa deserves a fair share. But that will only happen if we invest in the pipeline and not just in content, but in creators alike.

The good news is that momentum is building. In recent years, we’ve seen the emergence of dedicated training programs and academies that offer intensive, practical learning.

These platforms often run in collaboration with broadcasters, industry professionals, and development partners and are producing a new generation of storytellers who are confident, competent, and globally competitive.

Academies such as MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) have quietly trained hundreds of young filmmakers across East, West, and Southern Africa, many of whom have gone on to direct their productions or work behind the scenes on pan-African series.

The key to their success? A focus on not just technical skills, but also on storytelling, collaboration, and navigating the business of content creation. But a few programs alone won’t solve the problem. What Africa needs is a coordinated, well-funded ecosystem of creative education and one that is plugged into industry trends, aligned with local contexts, and committed to building inclusive pathways for young people.

This means rethinking how we design curricula in media schools and polytechnics. It means public-private partnerships that link training with real job opportunities. And it means valuing creativity as a legitimate and strategic driver of development and not a luxury or side hustle.

The demand for African content has never been higher. Streaming giants, international festivals, and global audiences are hungry for fresh perspectives and untold stories. This is Africa’s moment, but we cannot seize it if our creators are undertrained and unsupported.

We must go beyond celebrating talent and start investing in skills. We must equip our creatives not just to dream, but to deliver. Africa’s stories are powerful. But it’s the storytellers who will shape how the world hears them if we give them the tools to do so.

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Victoria Goro is the MultiChoice Talent Factor Eastern Africa Academy Director