By Juliet Umeh

A pan-African trade and cultural enterprise, Afretrade, has launched the Afretrade Roadshow, a continent-wide audition and scouting initiative designed to discover and promote African talent and enterprise ahead of the TAE Festival.

The initiative, which serves as a prelude to the Transformative Afretrade Entrepreneur, TAE, Festival, is aimed at advancing Africa’s creative and economic sovereignty by identifying performers and businesses with the potential to scale globally.

According to the organisers, the Roadshow will operate as an open audition platform across key cities on the continent, bringing together two categories of participants, performing talents and African businesses.

Performing talents, including dancers and creatives, are expected to showcase artistic expressions that reflect Africa’s cultural depth and contemporary identity, while businesses and entrepreneurs will present innovations driving trade, growth and economic transformation across the continent.

Afretrade said selected participants will be elevated to the main stage of the TAE Festival, described as a premier multicultural and business event designed to showcase African excellence to global investors and partners.

Speaking on the initiative, the organisation said the Roadshow is more than an audition exercise, but a movement aimed at triggering what it describes as the African Renaissance.

“At the heart of the Afretrade Roadshow is a singular vision: to trigger the African Renaissance. Africa is home to the world’s most dynamic population of creative minds and entrepreneurial spirits. This platform is designed to find them, amplify them and connect them to the world,” the organisers said.

In a further commitment to rewarding excellence, Afretrade announced a $5,000 investment grant for outstanding participants in both categories, one performing talent and one business winner, bringing the total prize to $10,000.

The grant, according to the organisers, will be presented live at the TAE Festival as part of its flagship investment initiative, in the presence of investors, industry leaders and global partners.

“This grant is more than prize money. It is a declaration that Africa’s creatives and entrepreneurs deserve tangible investment, not just applause,” Afretrade said.

The TAE Festival, scheduled to hold at Eko Hotels, Lagos, from June 16 to 19, 2026, will bring together culture, commerce and community in a structured ecosystem aimed at unlocking investment opportunities and fostering cross-border collaboration.

Organisers said the Afretrade Roadshow will travel across the continent ahead of the festival, building a pipeline of talent and businesses that reflect Africa’s growing creative and economic potential.

They added that the initiative represents a deliberate effort to reshape global perceptions of Africa, while strengthening internal capacity for innovation, cultural pride and sustainable development.