How Africa’s designers and artisans are shaping the continent’s new identity

At any one time in Johannesburg, designers and artists can be found throughout the city putting their hard-earned skills to work. Often merging material and expression from Nigeria, Ghana and beyond, the city is a thriving demonstration of the collaboration, identity and purpose defining how African creativity moves fluidly between borders.

In the last year alone, at least 21 creative hubs have been mapped across Johannesburg. With the output from this growing creative economy gaining increasing international attention that’s helping reimagine (and centre) African identity. 

Given that financial institutions are not traditionally linked to the creative world, the question emerges, what role should they play in the space? 

At Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking, we believe that the creative sector is as important as any other sector we enable. It is not only culturally important; it is a source of strong growth, export competitiveness and economic diversification. It contributes towards inclusive development and improves foreign currency liquidity, which remain a challenge in a lot of African countries. With our unrivalled presence across 21 markets on the continent, we believe we have a deep understanding of the continent’s opportunities, and we are therefore positioned to partner in this transformation.

The creative economy as Africa’s next frontier

According to UNESCO, the creative economy generates an estimated $2.25trn and supports roughly 30m jobs globally. 

In South Africa, our creative industries account for just under 3% of GDP, far below their potential. For policymakers, investors and business leaders, we need to think creatively about how we unlock this cultural wealth and convert it into revenue, jobs and competitive brand power.

Africa’s creative economy, currently valued around $4.2bn, is growing at approximately 7.4% annually and is attracting rising international interest. In the next five years, the continent could command as much as 10% of global creative goods exports (around $200bn in value) and in the process help create up to 20m jobs. Youthful populations, mobile connectivity, rising middle classes and strong diaspora linkages are fuelling demand for authentic content, culturally rooted design and African narratives. 

In South Africa, for example, the fashion design sector contributes approximately 1bn rand ($58m) to the economy, while the craft industry generates about 2bn rand. Yet the latter is constrained by expensive raw materials, fragmented supply chains and limited export channels. 

With stronger branding and certification, akin to Kenya’s approach to coffee, export revenues could plausibly triple within five years.

What holds many creative enterprises back is not talent but the nuts and bolts of scale: infrastructure, capital, networks and cross-border pathways. Too many promising firms remain informal and locally constrained. They require bespoke finance solutions, to navigate contracts and logistics across jurisdictions, and guidance on currency and regulatory complexity.

Why local presence matters

Creative work is deeply contextual, which makes local presence essential. A pattern, motif or cultural reference that resonates in Johannesburg may feel unfamiliar in Nairobi or Lagos. At the same time, regulations, tax rules, intellectual property laws, import duties and market norms vary widely across African markets. This is why having a bank that truly understands these nuances is so important.

Our strength lies in this very fact. With 163 years on the continent and a presence in 21 African markets, we combine local insight with global capital markets expertise. Through our international interface, with bankers based in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we connect ideas, talent and capital between Africa and the world. 

This footprint allows us to anticipate regulatory shifts, understand political risk, assist clients in managing market risk and navigate cross-border client needs in real time, all with cultural sensitivity. The international presence also enables us to connect offshore investors to investment opportunities on the continent, which in turn support the economic development of Africa.

From concept to scale — how we partner

Our role, put simply, is to walk with creative entrepreneurs from concept to scale. That journey often begins with advisory support such as refining a growth model, identifying priority markets and structuring partnerships or joint ventures. It then extends to capital solutions that blend debt, equity or hybrid instruments suited to the rhythms of creative businesses. 

Transactional support follows, from foreign exchange and cross-border payments to import/export facilitation, logistics and supply chain financing. Alongside this, we help clients mitigate risk through hedging, insurance and contractual protections. And as firms expand, we connect them into relevant ecosystems — hubs, incubators and shared services that reduce cost and accelerate learning.

Digital infrastructure is one of the major enablers of success for creative enterprises, which often depend on high-speed, reliable internet connectivity to produce, distribute and monetise their work. Many creative business models operate entirely online, whether through streaming platforms, digital marketplaces, or collaborative tools – making robust infrastructure not just beneficial, but essential to their viability and growth.

Recently Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS), a leading provider of fibre infrastructure across Africa, faced a critical challenge of securing commercial debt to fund its ambitious expansion into under-served regions. Despite its extensive fibre network of 80,000 km and 80m end-users across 15 countries, the company had yet to tap into commercial debt markets. Their business urgently needed flexible, scalable capital. 

Leveraging our deep sector expertise and pan-African footprint, we acted as joint arranger and co-lender in the client’s inaugural commercial debt raise, structuring a $42m term loan facility tailored to the unique demands of infrastructure development in emerging markets. We created a bespoke financing model that enabled BCS to accelerate its fibre rollout across multiple African markets, directly supporting its mission to enhance digital connectivity.

Our role in this transaction showcases our deep understanding of capital markets and our ability to deliver tailored investment banking solutions that elevate African-focused assets.

Our vision for Africa’s creative economy

The horizon, as we see it, is a pan-African creative ecosystem. A network in which Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Accra, Kampala and Abidjan operate as connected nodes for talent, production and distribution. 

In this vision of the future, brand identity, architecture, film, fashion, digital media and immersive experiences will move more easily across borders, supported by fit-for-purpose financial infrastructure and policy frameworks. 

Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking intends to be a central enabler of that vision, not just as a financier but as an advisor, convener and partner. We believe investing in creative capital is investing in Africa’s identity.

To governments, incubators, investors and creative entrepreneurs, our invitation is open: join us in building Africa’s next identity. 

When we say, “no one knows Africa better,” we mean it. Our footprint, local insight, global reach and creative conviction uniquely position us to support the continent’s creative future. 

We understand the scale of the challenge ahead, to link artistry with investment, culture with commerce, and imagination with execution. Africa’s creative energy is one of its greatest untapped assets. By pairing that energy with the right financial architecture, we can redefine not only industries but identity. 

At Standard Bank Corporate Investment Banking, we believe that when Africa’s creative energy is paired with the right financial frameworks, it can reshape industries and drive inclusive growth. 

We are committed to supporting visionary creatives with tailored solutions that provide impact. Working together, we will build a bold, collaborative and distinctly African future.