LIFANIMA 2026: Lagos Counts Down to a Decade of Animation and Creative Innovation

PRESS RELEASE

The countdown has begun to the 10th anniversary edition of LIFANIMA – Nigeria’s Animation Festival, scheduled for October 20–22, 2026, at the Mike Adenuga Centre, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. The festival will bring together animation filmmakers, industry leaders, technology innovators, educators, students and international delegates to celebrate a decade of championing animation and advancing the African creative economy.

Since its establishment in 2016, LIFANIMA has provided a platform for showcasing animation talent, encouraging creative exchange and connecting Nigerian and African creators with the global animation community. Its 10th anniversary edition will reaffirm the festival’s commitment to developing a vibrant, globally competitive African animation industry that creates jobs, exports intellectual property, preserves cultural heritage and inspires future generations.

With an exciting programme spanning cultural preservation, nation-building, technological innovation, talent development and international collaboration, LIFANIMA 2026 promises to be a landmark celebration for the animation industry.

CBAAC and LIFANIMA spotlight FESTAC ’77 @ 50

One of the major highlights of this year’s festival will be a special panel session examining the role of animation in preserving, reinterpreting and sharing Africa’s rich cultural heritage, as the continent looks towards the 50th anniversary of the landmark FESTAC ’77 festival.

The session will be led by Hon. Aisha Adamu Augie, Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), in partnership with LIFANIMA. It will explore the opportunities for animation to contribute to the creative economy by bringing Africa’s stories, traditions, artistic expressions and historical experiences to new generations and audiences around the world.

Animation is more than entertainment; it is a powerful medium for documenting cultural memory, revitalising traditional narratives and making African heritage accessible to children and young people in engaging, contemporary formats. The panel will consider how animators, cultural institutions, policymakers and the wider creative community can collaborate to ensure that Africa’s stories remain relevant, visible and globally appreciated, while becoming a major revenue earner for practitioners in the creative sector.

The session will feature a distinguished panel of industry leaders and practitioners, including:

• Dr. Isa E. Omagu — General Manager, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer’s Office, Bank of Industry.
• Mohammed Ghazala — Associate Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, Effat University, Saudi Arabia, and Vice President of ASIFA (International Animated Film Association).
• Ferdy Adimefe — Founder and CEO, Magic Carpet Studios.
• Adja Mariam Soro — Founder and CEO, Studio KÄ, Abidjan.

The discussion will be moderated by Francis Onwochei, TV/film producer and consultant.

Bringing together perspectives from cultural administration, development finance, academia and animation production, the panel will examine how Africa can harness animation as both a cultural preservation tool and an engine of creative and economic development.

NOA Animation Awards: Telling the Nigerian story through animation

Another major highlight will be the NOA Animation Awards, an initiative of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), designed to harness the creativity of animators in support of national identity, civic awareness and nation-building. Under the theme “Who Is a Real Nigerian?”, the awards challenge animation creators to tell compelling stories that explore Nigerian identity, celebrate the nation’s diversity and inspire patriotism.

By encouraging artists to communicate important national values through animation, the initiative demonstrates the medium’s potential to reach audiences, particularly children and young people, with messages that are educational, entertaining and culturally relevant. The NOA Animation Awards also represent an important opportunity to nurture emerging talent and demonstrate how animation can contribute to public orientation, social development and a stronger sense of shared national identity.

LIFANIMA Innovation Day: Exploring the future of animation

As technology continues to transform the global animation industry, LIFANIMA Innovation Day will provide a dedicated platform for technology innovators working at the intersection of animation, creativity and digital production. The segment will spotlight emerging technologies, new production tools, innovative workflows and fresh approaches to visual storytelling that are shaping the future of animation.

Says Muyiwa Kayode, the Festival Director, “By opening the stage to technology innovators, LIFANIMA aims to encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration between animators, technology developers, studios, entrepreneurs and other creative professionals. The initiative recognises that the growth of African animation depends not only on storytelling talent but also on access to technology, production infrastructure, technical skills and innovative business models. Innovation Day will therefore provide an opportunity to explore solutions that can strengthen the capacity of African studios to produce competitive content for local and international markets”.

Inspiring the next generation: Radioxity Stop Motion Animation Lab

LIFANIMA 2026 will also invest in the next generation of creative talent through the Radioxity Stop Motion Animation Lab, organised in partnership with Radioxity Media Animation Studio.

The initiative will introduce secondary school students to the fundamentals and creative possibilities of stop-motion animation, giving young participants an opportunity to explore storytelling through moving images and hands-on creative practice. By introducing students to animation at an early stage, the programme seeks to stimulate imagination, develop creative confidence and open pathways to careers in animation, film, digital media and related creative disciplines.

The lab reflects LIFANIMA’s wider commitment to nurturing talent and ensuring that young people are not merely consumers of animated content but can also become the storytellers, artists, innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

A decade of impact — and a vision for the future

As LIFANIMA celebrates ten years, its ambitions extend well beyond the annual festival. The long-term vision is to contribute to a stronger, more sustainable African animation ecosystem in which original stories become valuable intellectual property, creative businesses generate employment, and African culture finds new expression through animation.

The festival is presented by USP Communications Limited and is supported by its sponsors and partners, including the National Orientation Agency, Bank of Industry and Checkers Custard, alongside a network of cultural, media, industry and institutional partners. As the animation community counts down to October 20–22, LIFANIMA invites filmmakers, students, technology innovators, cultural organisations, industry stakeholders and animation enthusiasts to join the celebration.

Registration and information: www.lifanima.com