HEVA WILL BE AT CANEX 2025
HEVA Fund is excited to be an official association partner at the third edition of CANEX at IATF, taking place from 4th to 10th September 2025 in Algiers, Algeria. Organised by Red Flag on behalf of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), CANEX at IATF is the continent’s largest platform for celebrating and advancing Africa’s creative and cultural industries.
This partnership agreement between HEVA and CANEX forms part of a shared commitment to accelerating the creative economy through investment, dialogue, and collaboration.
Over the past decade, HEVA has invested in youth-led and women-led creative businesses across 14 countries in Eastern Africa. For us, CANEX is more than just an event. It is an opportunity to align with a continental vision, amplify the stories of African creatives, and shape the future of creative finance.
What We’re Bringing to CANEX 2025
Our work focuses on four key pillars:
Finance: Unlocking capital for creative entrepreneurs and SMEs to grow sustainably
Advisory: Providing tools, training, and technical support to strengthen creative businesses
Knowledge: Building data-driven insights to influence creative policy and investment
Community: Connecting creatives across borders to share, collaborate, and lead
We’re excited to bring this experience to CANEX and learn from others working across the continent.
A major highlight of our participation will be our contribution to the Funding Masterclass series, where we will lead a session titled:
“Unlocking Creative Capital: From Promise to Practice”
🗓 Saturday, 6 September 2025
This session will bring together regional voices and practical insights from the ground, focusing on how African creatives can access and manage capital, turning opportunity into sustainable enterprise. We’ll explore innovative financing models, IP-based business growth, and lessons from over a decade of deploying investment into the creative economy.
Five Key Themes We’re Watching
As we prepare for CANEX, here are some of the conversations we’re particularly excited to engage with:
Creative Financing Innovations
What bold approaches are emerging to make creative finance more inclusive and responsive?Commercialising and Protecting IP
How do we strengthen the value chain for IP from creation to monetisation?Youth and Women as Drivers of Growth
How do we keep equity and access at the center of the creative economy’s growth story?Creative Tech and Digital Transformation
How are African creatives harnessing technology to tell stories, build brands, and expand markets?Pan-African Creative Collaboration
What models are working to unite creators across regions, and how can we build more?
Let’s Connect in Algiers
Our team will be in Algiers to share, listen, and collaborate with other changemakers across the continent:
Wakiuru Njuguna – Managing Partner, HEVA Fund
Steering HEVA’s vision, strategy, and investment in Africa’s creative and cultural industries.George Gachara - Founder, HEVA Fund and Creative Africa Advisory Group Member (Kenya)
To learn more about CANEX at IATF visit: https://www.intrafricantradefair.com/
