By Onyeka Ezike

Over the years, Ecobank, the Pan-African Bank, has created an enabling environment for the creative sector. The bank has boosted the creative industry, creating a platform for young emerging artists to showcase their artwork through the annual +234 Arts Fair. The third edition of the +234 Arts Fair is curated by SOTO Gallery and themed “Inclusivity.” This year’s edition features over 400 artists and 1,100 artworks. The social agency of possibility, perspective, and freedom inspired the Inclusivity theme. The event was held recently at the Ecobank headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The third edition of the +234 Art Fair is an initiative of Ecobank Nigeria and SOTO Gallery, with the African Finance Corporation (AFC) serving as a major partner. The three institutions share a common belief that African creativity deserves strong institutional support, global platforms, and sustained long-term investment. The fair is dedicated to championing young and underrepresented artists, and its mission has consistently been to challenge systems of exclusion within contemporary Nigerian art structures that have historically limited artists’ access to collective participation, market opportunities, and wider audiences.

In his remarks, delivered on his behalf by Omoboye Odu, Head of SME Partnerships and Collaboration at Ecobank Nigeria, Managing Director Bolaji Lawal noted that the +234 Arts Fair began as a simple idea that has since grown into a movement. He explained that the country code +234 represents Nigeria’s unique calling to the world.

“We are proud to once again host the +234 Art Fair here at the Ecobank Pan-African Centre — a space where finance meets creativity, where the boardroom shakes hands with brushstrokes, and where capital meets canvas. Beyond the beauty, colours, and textures, the conversation this fair represents is far bigger. Nigeria’s creative economy is not merely vibrant; it is investable, scalable, employable, and exportable.”

Omoboye Odu emphasised that this year’s theme of inclusivity is not a buzzword or a passing trend, but a deliberate commitment to opening wider doors for young artists, amplifying underrepresented voices, expanding market access, and creating meaningful pathways to visibility. She reaffirmed the bank’s long-standing commitment to supporting a creative sector that diversifies the economy and empowers young people. “Art is culture and art is identity,” she said, “but when properly structured, art is also business, and creativity becomes a serious economic force.”

This year’s fair offered a rich and diverse programme of activities, with a multifaceted cultural experience including curated exhibitions from both emerging and established artists, masterclasses and workshops, live installations, and panel sessions exploring the intersection of finance and the arts. Additional highlights included a children’s creative zone underscoring the organisers’ conviction that talent has no age limit as well as a collectors’ lounge and curated culinary experiences, in recognition that art should nourish both the soul and the senses.

The +234 Art Fair has consolidated its position as one of Nigeria’s most influential cultural platforms, recording sustained growth across its 2024 and 2025 editions. Over 18,000 visitors attended across both years. The art fair participating artists increased from 200 in 2024 to 260 in 2025, reflecting an expanding reach within the creative community.

The President and CEO of African Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, said: “Now in our third year of supporting the +234 Art Fair, AFC remains committed to championing platforms that unlock the commercial and cultural value of Africa’s creative industries. The Fair reflects the power of Africa’s young, dynamic talent to drive innovation, enterprise and global cultural influence. Through our continued collaboration with Ecobank and Soto Gallery, we are proud to support an ecosystem that enables African artists to scale their reach, retain value on the continent, and position African creativity as a globally competitive economic force.”

Ecobank Nigeria has become one of the leading financial institutions supporting Nigeria’s creative economy. Its commitment aligns with the broader pan-African vision of the Ecobank Group to promote African art, culture, and enterprise across the continent. The bank consistently hosts flagship platforms, including Adire Lagos, Oja Oge, the +234 Art Fair, the Lagos Pop-Up Museum, SME Bazaar, and the Design & Build Exhibition, providing prominent opportunities for small businesses and creatives to scale visibility and commercial value. The Bank also operates EPAC Studios, a purpose-built creative space dedicated to telling authentic African stories across art, culture, lifestyle, and entertainment.

The Founder of Soto Gallery and Curator of the fair, Tola Akerele, described the initiative as a movement designed to “amplify Nigerian voices” and connect artists to wider markets across Africa and beyond. She said, “This is the third year, and every year we have a theme. This year’s theme is “Inclusivity”, and the platform is generally about being inclusive because we are trying to open up the art world and system. We have actually spotlighted inclusivity this year. What does it mean to be inclusive? We do a poll for the artists each year, and we put it out on social media, and artists respond to us. But this year, we have actually gone out ourselves, and we have travelled around 17 states in Nigeria over 33 days looking for artists in underserved communities.

“So, we have a team of curators, documenters, photographers, and social media to really see artists one-on-one. And I think what we realised more than ever is that this platform is really big, and an impact is being made. We met others who had participated, who had heard of it or had not heard of it, and who were a bit afraid and who wanted to come but could not come. So to go out on the field and actually meet them face-to-face is incredible. And so, we documented the travel.”

The fair has quickly established itself as a premier cultural platform. Across its first two editions in 2024 and 2025, the event recorded over 18,000 visitors and showcased more than 1,100 artworks. Participation has also grown, with the number of artists increasing from 200 in 2024 to 260 in 2025.

PIC CAPTION

From left: Maeva Sabot, PR, +234 Art Fair; Tola Akerele, Founder, Soto Gallery; Austen Osokpor, Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Ecobank Nigeria; Omoboye Odu, Head, SMEs, Partnerships & Collaboration, Ecobank Nigeria and Joan Oyefeso, Project Manager, +234 Art Fair, at the opening of +234 Art Fair in Lagos on Wednesday.