MENU

Vision 2030
Tag Archive

From Lagos to Riyadh: The Rise of a New Afro-Arab Creative Powerhouse

19 October 2026 Comments (0) Business, Featured

Africa has the stories. The Gulf has growing ambitions to finance and distribute them. From Nigeria’s prolific film industry to Saudi Arabia’s expanding cinema ecosystem, a new network of cultural and commercial partnerships is taking shape. Film festivals, investment funds and streaming platforms are bringing African filmmakers closer to Arab audiences, opening opportunities for an industry long constrained by limited financing and fragmented distribution.

The numbers illustrate the potential. According to UNESCO’s 2021 report on the African film industry, Nollywood produces approximately 2,500 films annually, making Nigeria one of the world’s most prolific film-producing countries. Across Africa, the film and audiovisual sector generates an estimated $5 billion in annual revenue, according to figures cited by UNESCO, despite persistent challenges involving piracy, infrastructure and access to capital.

Meanwhile, Gulf countries are investing heavily in entertainment as part of broader economic diversification strategies. Saudi Arabia reopened commercial cinemas in 2018 after a decades-long prohibition, while its Red Sea International Film Festival, established in Jeddah in 2021, has developed into a meeting point for filmmakers, producers and investors from the Arab world, Africa and beyond.

The relationship is increasingly moving beyond film screenings and distribution agreements. Financing initiatives, production grants and international project markets are creating opportunities for African filmmakers to develop projects with partners in the Gulf.

Capital meets creativity: the Gulf’s growing interest in African cinema

Saudi Arabia’s entertainment ambitions are closely tied to Vision 2030, the kingdom’s economic diversification programme. Beyond expanding domestic cinema infrastructure, the country is positioning itself as a financing and networking hub for international film production.

The Red Sea Film Foundation provides one of the clearest examples of this strategy. Through its Red Sea Fund, the organisation supports film projects at different stages of development, production and post-production, including works by African and Arab filmmakers.

By 2025, the foundation reported supporting more than 340 projects from over 66 countries across the Arab world, Africa and Asia. Its activities extend beyond grants to include training programmes, industry networking and the Red Sea Souk, a project market designed to facilitate international partnerships.

The results are increasingly visible at major film festivals. In February 2025, nine projects supported by the foundation were presented at the Berlin International Film Festival or its associated industry market. They included The Heart Is a Muscle, a South African drama directed by Imran Hamdulay, and Ancestral Visions of the Future, a documentary by Lesotho-born filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese.

These examples demonstrate how Gulf-based institutions are helping African productions gain access to financing and international visibility. However, financial support does not automatically constitute a formal coproduction: the distinction depends on the contractual and production arrangements of each project.

Some projects already illustrate deeper cross-regional involvement. The Mother of All Lies, directed by Morocco’s Asmae El Moudir, lists Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar among its production countries. Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters similarly brought together production partners from Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Europe.

Such collaborations provide a more concrete picture of the emerging Afro-Arab audiovisual ecosystem than investment announcements alone.

Beyond cinema: streaming, music and new audiences

Digital distribution is another important factor in the relationship between African and Arab creative industries.

Streaming platforms have reduced some of the geographical barriers that previously limited the circulation of films, television series and music. Services such as Shahid, operated by MBC Group, have helped expand digital entertainment distribution across the Middle East and North Africa, while international platforms have made African productions accessible to wider audiences.

However, reaching viewers across both regions remains a commercial challenge. Language, licensing arrangements, subscription affordability and audience preferences all influence whether a production can succeed beyond its domestic market.

Music offers another avenue for cultural exchange. Nigerian Afrobeats and South African amapiano have gained international recognition, creating opportunities for African artists, promoters and music companies to reach audiences in the Gulf.

Anghami illustrates the development of the region’s digital music infrastructure. Founded in Lebanon in 2012, the streaming company established its headquarters in Abu Dhabi and became publicly traded on Nasdaq in February 2022. Its expansion reflects the growing importance of regional platforms in music licensing, digital distribution and artist promotion.

Yet the commercial relationship between African music industries and Gulf entertainment businesses remains less documented than the global popularity of African genres. Concert appearances and streaming availability demonstrate audience interest, but should not be confused with evidence of large-scale joint investment or production.

Institutional support and the economics of collaboration

The expansion of Africa’s creative economy is also attracting greater attention from development finance institutions.

One of the most significant initiatives is Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), launched in 2020 by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). The programme aims to support African creative industries through financing, infrastructure development, capacity building and international market access.

In October 2024, Afreximbank announced plans to increase its CANEX financing facility from $1 billion to $2 billion over the following three years. The initiative covers sectors including film, music, fashion and sports, reflecting growing institutional recognition of creative industries as potential sources of employment, investment and export revenue.

On the Gulf side, the Red Sea Souk has become a platform for connecting filmmakers with potential financiers and production partners. Its 2025 project market selected 40 film and television projects, including 24 projects in development or production, eight works in progress and eight episodic projects.

Together, these initiatives address complementary needs. African producers frequently face financing and distribution constraints, while Gulf-based institutions are seeking to develop international partnerships, strengthen production capabilities and expand their cultural influence.

Egypt and North Africa also occupy an important position in this evolving landscape. Their established film industries, Arabic-language markets and connections with both African and Middle Eastern production networks create opportunities for collaboration. The involvement of Egyptian, Moroccan and Tunisian partners in internationally financed films illustrates how these relationships can operate across several countries rather than through a simple Lagos-to-Riyadh corridor.

A promising market, but significant barriers remain

Despite these developments, Afro-Arab creative partnerships face considerable structural challenges.

Film and television coproductions require agreements covering financing, intellectual property, creative control, revenue sharing and distribution rights. Differences in national regulations, content restrictions and production standards can complicate negotiations, particularly for independent producers without extensive legal or commercial resources.

Language presents another challenge. Nigeria’s film industry produces content in English and several local languages, while much of the Gulf’s mainstream television market is Arabic-speaking. Subtitling, dubbing and culturally adapted marketing therefore remain essential to reaching audiences across both regions.

There is also a difference between supporting African films and building sustainable African production industries. International grants can help individual projects reach completion, but long-term growth requires stronger local financing systems, technical training, production infrastructure and reliable distribution networks.

For Gulf investors, commercial success will depend on identifying projects with viable audiences and distribution strategies rather than assuming that cultural proximity automatically translates into demand.

Nevertheless, the foundations of a broader partnership are becoming more visible. Saudi film funds are supporting African directors, international project markets are bringing producers together, and African financial institutions are expanding their commitments to the creative economy.

The next stage will depend on whether these initiatives produce sustained investment, recurring partnerships and films that succeed commercially across multiple markets.

From Lagos to Jeddah, Cairo and Riyadh, the opportunity is no longer simply to export African stories. It is to build the financing, production and distribution networks that allow African and Arab creative industries to grow together.

Read more

Dream of the Desert: Saudi Arabia’s Bold Bet on Luxury Rail

2 January 2026 Comments (0) Business, Featured

Saudi Arabia is betting on a slower, more exclusive way to travel. With Dream of the Desert, the Kingdom is launching its first luxury tourist train, a project that blends hospitality, mobility and nation branding into a single moving experience. Far from being a nostalgic nod to old-school rail travel, this train is a strategic business tool designed to attract high-value tourism and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions.

Developed in partnership with Italian luxury brand Arsenale Group and operated on the Saudi rail network, Dream of the Desert is expected to run across the country’s northern routes, notably between Riyadh, AlUla and Qurayyat. The train will feature around 40 luxury cabins, including suites, lounges and dining cars, accommodating roughly 80 to 90 passengers per journey. This is not mass transport. It is scarcity by design.

A moving luxury asset in the middle of the desert

Dream of the Desert is conceived as a five-star hotel on rails. Interiors are inspired by Saudi architectural heritage, with contemporary design, panoramic windows and bespoke furnishings. Onboard services are expected to include fine dining, curated cultural content and guided off-train excursions, particularly in destinations like AlUla, one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship tourism projects.

From a business standpoint, the numbers are telling. Luxury train journeys elsewhere in the world often sell for between 2,000 and 5,000 dollars per person for multi-day experiences. Saudi Arabia is positioning itself in this premium bracket, targeting international travelers who are willing to pay for exclusivity, storytelling and comfort rather than speed. With limited capacity and high price points, profitability relies on margins, not volume.

The train also capitalizes on existing infrastructure. By upgrading and reimagining rail assets instead of building entirely new ones, the project limits capital expenditure while increasing the value generated per kilometer traveled. It is a classic example of asset optimization, applied to tourism.

Why this train fits Saudi Arabia’s long-term strategy

Dream of the Desert is more than a tourism product. It is a narrative device. For decades, Saudi Arabia has been associated with oil, aviation and road transport. A luxury train crossing the desert sends a different message: one of openness, refinement and experiential travel.

Tourism is expected to contribute 10 percent of Saudi Arabia’s GDP by 2030, up from around 3 percent a decade ago. The country aims to attract 150 million visitors per year by the end of the decade. While Dream of the Desert will only host a fraction of those travelers, its symbolic impact is disproportionate to its size. It helps position Saudi Arabia as a premium destination, not just a new one.

There is also a sustainability angle. Rail travel produces significantly lower CO₂ emissions per passenger than short-haul flights, especially for domestic routes. For a country under increasing pressure to demonstrate environmental responsibility, promoting luxury rail fits the growing global demand for slower, more conscious travel without sacrificing comfort.

The project has not been without controversy. Critics point to the optics of launching a luxury train in a country where questions around human rights, freedom of expression and labor conditions remain central in international debates. Others question the relevance of ultra-premium tourism in a region facing water scarcity and extreme climate constraints, arguing that luxury infrastructure in the desert risks amplifying environmental pressures rather than alleviating them.

There is also skepticism about demand sustainability: with limited global precedent for profitable luxury rail in harsh climates, some analysts wonder whether the project will attract enough repeat international travelers to justify long-term operating costs

In the end, Dream of the Desert is not about getting from point A to point B. It is about redefining what the journey itself is worth. By combining luxury hospitality, cultural storytelling and strategic restraint, Saudi Arabia is testing a simple but powerful idea: in a world obsessed with speed, slowing down can be a premium business.

Photos : cnn.com

Read more

Kenyan Geothermal power continues its expansion

30 June 2016 Comments (0) Africa, Business, Featured

Kenya Geothermal Energy Project

Kenya continues to attract interest with its extensive geothermal energy schemes.

In the space of only a few years, Kenya has shifted its entire focus on energy, and created unprecedented growth in geothermal production. While hydro-electricity has long been the nation’s main source of power, the Kenyan government now hopes that by 2030 only 4% of the country’s energy will be hydro-electric. The notoriously unreliable rains of East Africa make a shift to geothermal power a sensible choice, and Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is proving to be a giant source of energy.

Power from within

It was back in the 1950’s when the first exploratory wells were dug in the Rift Valley. The Olkaria region of the area was quickly ascertained to have serious potential for energy creation. Under the surface there is a seething mass of geothermal activity that blanketsthe area with hot springs and bubbling, sulfuric fissures. It is no surprise that the national park in which Olkaria is found is known as “Hell’s Gate.”

Within 10 years of the first drilling, the Kenyan government, working alongside the UN, began more in-depth assessments of the energy potential that bubbled beneath the ground. By 1981, the first geothermal power plant had opened in Olkaria, with an initial output of 45 MW.

Kenya geothermal energy

Kenya geothermal energy

Harnessing this natural energy became a large project, with over $1 billion of investment over the next 20 years. However, it was an investment worth making, as Kenya’s energy demands have rocketed as the nation develops. Considering that in 2008 only 25% of the population had access to electricity, this demand was only going to increase. As such, the government developed its Vision 2030 program.

A bolder vision

Vision 2030 was launched in 2008 to outline Kenya’s plans for energy expansion that would facilitate rapid economic growth. However, droughts highlighted the unreliable nature of Kenya’s hydro-electric dependency, and in 2013 the project was updated with Olkaria’s geothermal plants the priority.

Olkaria expanded rapidly in the 21st century, with Olkaria II opening in 2003 and expanding its production in 2013. Olkaria III hosts a 110 MW generator to add to the combined power of 290 MW coming from Olkaria sites I and II.

As recently as 2014, Olkaria opened up site IV that hosts a further 140 MW of power, as the company KenGen has worked closely with multinational companies to further its production.

KenGen is the company responsible for Kenya’s geothermal production, and as a majority government owned body it has made massive inroads into expanding the energy supplied by the Rift Valley’s activity. Alongside companies like Toyota and Toshiba, KenGen has created a huge increase in the energy produced from Olkaria.

The financiers supporting its growth include the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, which hope that affordable, green energy will have even more far reaching effects. Diarietou Gaye, the World Bank’s country director for Kenya, said, “That’s why we are investing in the energy sector… [it] is a key infrastructure investment in the fight against poverty.”

This is borne out by figures quoted from KenGen CEO, Albert Mugo, who stated that the increased production from Olkaria had seen a 30% drop in energy costs for consumers since 2014.

Continued Growth

The expansion of Kenya’s geothermal power base is far from complete. The development of Olkaria V is already underway, and there are plans for an Olkaria VI site. Moreover, the fact that Kenya is now the 8th largest producer of geothermal energy in the world has attracted interest from neighboring nations. Ethiopian president Hailemariam Desalegn recently visited Olkaria, and the two nations have agreed to work side by side in the development of renewable energy.

Geothermal energy looks set to be at the forefront of Kenya’s energy revolution, and will surely play a vital role in the country’s continuing development.

Read more