Creative technology, education and content studio, Nsibidi Fables, convened educators, technology leaders, filmmakers, creatives, policymakers and business executives at the Mike Adenuga Centre, Lagos, for Claiming Tomorrow: The Next Gen Collective, an event exploring how artificial intelligence, education and African storytelling can shape Africa’s role in the global digital economy.
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‎The gathering brought together voices from education, technology, animation, media and the creative industries, including Tony Effik, Founder of Nsibidi Fables; Regina Ezefuna, Proprietor of Dream Schools International; Perky Noah-Effik, Chief Brand Officer, Nsibidi Fables; and Lanre Adisa, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Noah’s Ark Communications, alongside filmmakers, writers, studio executives, educators, investors and technology professionals.
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‎The conversations focused on the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s AI powered future, with participants examining how technology, creativity and education can work together to unlock new possibilities across the continent.
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‎Opening the event, Tony Effik, Founder of Nsibidi Fables, encouraged Africans to actively participate in shaping the future rather than waiting for it.
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‎“Today is our time to dream together. If nobody knows the future, why can’t we make the future ourselves? Why not us? We’ve created things in the past like the Nsibidi Writing System and the Ifa Binary System and then discarded that potential. No more discarded potential.”
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‎Drawing from Africa’s history of innovation, Effik highlighted the Nsibidi writing system and the Ifa binary system as examples of the continent’s contributions to knowledge and technology, urging participants to reclaim that legacy while embracing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
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‎The discussions came amid significant growth in Africa’s creative and digital economy. Nigeria’s music industry generated nearly $395 million from international tours and performances in 2025, while streaming platforms paid more than ₦58 billion in royalties to Nigerian artists between 2023 and 2024. Nollywood also continues to produce thousands of films annually, reflecting the scale and potential of Africa’s creative industries.
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‎Participants agreed that unlocking this potential will require stronger education systems, increased access to technology and intentional investment in AI enabled creative industries.
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‎Education was a central focus of the programme, with speakers exploring how technology can support improved learning outcomes and address educational gaps across the continent. According to UNESCO, Sub Saharan Africa will require an additional 15 million teachers by 2030 to meet basic education goals, reinforcing the need for innovative solutions that support educators and learners.
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‎Sharing insights from her experience, Regina Ezefuna, Proprietor of Dream Schools International, highlighted the impact of Nsibidi Academy AI supported learning on students’ development.
‎“Parents did not believe their children produced the work they created using AI. It strengthened critical thinking, decision making, collaboration and emotional intelligence. The students wanted these classes every day. This is only the beginning.”
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‎Another key discussion explored the relationship between artificial intelligence and animation, with filmmakers, studio executives and creative professionals examining AI’s role in content production. While perspectives differed on the level of AI integration, participants agreed that technology should enhance human creativity rather than replace it.
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‎Perky Noah Effik, Chief Brand Officer at Nsibidi Fables, reaffirmed the company’s human centred approach to technology.
‎“Whether we are operating as a production studio or scaling an EdTech platform, our mission remains the same. Technology is a powerful tool, but it is never the author. Human-in-the-loop will continue to define everything we build.”
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‎During the event, Nsibidi Fables also outlined its future priorities, including the continued development of Nsibidi Academy, a technology enabled tutoring marketplace designed to strengthen learning outcomes across Africa, and the expansion of its proprietary AI assisted creative tools.
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‎The company shared that its AI supported production workflows have reduced animation production timelines from six months to four weeks while maintaining creative quality through a human in the loop process.
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‎Nsibidi Fables said it will continue to create platforms for collaboration across education, technology and the creative industries as Africa positions itself to compete in the global AI economy.
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‎Nsibidi Fables is a creative technology, education and content studio building the future of African storytelling through animation, education technology and AI enabled creative tools. The company combines human creativity with emerging technologies to empower the next generation of African creators, learners and innovators.