The Burns Brothers, Strathmore Business School Launch ‘Creative Economy 101’ to Unlock One Million African Jobs
PHOTO: Award-winning Kenyan music producer Motif Di Don, Timothy Owase, CEO of the Kenya Film Commission, Mike Burns, President and Founding Partner of The Burns Brothers, and Nelly Wainaina, Group Director of Marketing, Communication and Citizenship at NCBA, engage with the Creative Economy 101 learning platform during the launch of the programme at Strathmore University Business School.
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 30 – The newly established Creative Economy Africa Institute a partnership between international agency The Burns Brothers and Strathmore University Business School (SBS) has officially launched its flagship program, Creative Economy 101, designed to equip African creators with the commercial and entrepreneurial skills needed to build sustainable businesses.
The initiative aims to address a critical gridlock in Africa’s booming creative sector, while the continent yields an abundance of artistic talent, many creators lack the formal business education, financial literacy, and legal tools required to turn their craft into scalable enterprises.
Ultimately, the Institute targets unlocking one million jobs across the continent.
Despite the worldwide surge in popularity for African music, film, fashion, and digital content, a significant portion of the sector’s financial value remains uncaptured locally.
According to UNESCO, Africa’s cultural and creative industries have the potential to generate over $20 billion annually and create more than 20 million jobs, provided creators gain better access to knowledge, infrastructure, and capital.
”Creative Economy 101 is the first of many initiatives we will launch through the Creative Economy Africa Institute as we work to build the knowledge, partnerships, and ecosystems required to unlock the full value of Africa’s creative economy,” said Mike Burns, President and Founding Partner of The Burns Brothers.
“Africa’s greatest export over the coming decades will be its creativity, culture, innovation, intellectual property, and human potential.”
The program is structured to provide foundational business training tailored specifically to the nuances of creative industries, combining academic rigor with real-world industry insights.
Leaders from across Academia and government emphasized that positioning the creative sector as a primary economic engine requires structural, ecosystem-wide collaboration.
Dr. Caesar Mwangi, Executive Dean at Strathmore University Business School, highlighted the institution’s commitment to applied learning.
“Through the Creative Economy Africa Institute and programs such as Creative Economy 101, we are combining academic excellence with practical industry expertise to develop leaders, strengthen ecosystems, and generate the knowledge needed to build a more competitive and inclusive creative economy across the continent”, said Dr. Mwangi.
Echoing this sentiment, Professor Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, noted that formalizing support for the creative economy is essential for broader economic resilience.
“The creative economy holds enormous potential to drive growth across industries such as film, entertainment, sports, technology, fashion, and digital media,” stated Prof. Ndemo.
“With the right support, partnerships, skills development, and access to opportunities, it can create thriving enterprises and millions of jobs.”
Additionally, Dr. London Moore, Managing Director of Nova Pioneer East Africa and Head of Strategy Africa at The Burns Brothers, underscored the need for early-stage educational integration.
“The future of work is evolving faster than ever before, and education must evolve alongside it. At the basic education level, schools cannot afford to operate in isolation from industry.”
NCBA Elev8 Sponsors Inaugural Cohort demonstrating early private-sector involvement, financial services group announcing a partnership to sponsor ten creators for the inaugural cohort through its Elev8 program.
Nelly Wainaina, Group Director of Marketing, Communications, and Citizenship at NCBA Group, affirmed the financial sector’s role in sustaining creative entrepreneurship.
“We believe creators are entrepreneurs, innovators, and business builders whose ideas have the power to create jobs and drive economic growth. Supporting the creative economy is not only an investment in talent, but also an investment in Africa’s economic growth.”
