As the countdown to Sunday, April 25, 2021, begins, high-profile media personalities, comedians, actors and entrepreneurs have confirmed their participation in the eighth edition of the Nigeria Entertainment Conference (NECLive8), tagged ‘Building the Future.’
This year’s event will combine a studio set-up with a live global broadcast. Confirmed participants will provide deep insights into the future of the entertainment industry. They include Nollywood superstar Dakore Egbuson-Akande; entrepreneur and founder, Temple Management Company, Idris Olorunnimbe; accomplished entertainers, Basketmouth and Bovi; Big Cabal CEO, Tomiwa Aladekomo; Andela Co-Founder, Iyin Aboyeji and media personality, Bolanle Olukanni.
Dakore Akande-Egbuson is a celebrated Nigerian actress and ambassador for Amnesty International, Amstel Malta and Oxfam of America. She has starred in over 50 Nollywood movies and has won several awards, including ‘best actress’ at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in 2018, for her role in Isoken.
Idris Olorunnimbe is an illustrious entrepreneur with a law degree who launched the campaign that saw former governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) assume office in 2007. He is passionate about issues affecting Nigeria’s creative industry. This drive saw him establish the Temple Management Company in 2016 to project the best Nigerian talents in art, media, entertainment, and sports to the rest of the world. He is a board member of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), which tackles unemployment through wealth and job creation.
Comedian and actor, Basketmouth is a graduate of Sociology from the University of Benin. Since discovering his comic skills, he has gone on to earn his place as one of Africa’s most successful comedians. He has launched several successful comedy projects, including Basketmouth Uncensored, Papa Benji and the Big Friday Show on MTV Base.
Comedian, actor and writer, Bovi Ugboma holds a degree in Theatre Arts from Delta State University, Abraka. He has been active in the Nigerian entertainment industry since 2007 when he starred in the sitcom Extended Family.
In 2018 and 2021, Bovi hosted the Headies Awards and has appeared in several Nollywood feature films, including It’s Her Day (which earned him an AMVCA nomination for Best Actor in 2017) and International Affairs. Presently, he runs Kountry Kulture Networks, which produces for television, film and events.
Big Cabal CEO Tomiwa Aladekomo holds a master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University, New York. Between 2013 and 2016, Aladekomo served as Senior Digital Manager at Nigerian Breweries Plc. In 2016, Ventra Media Group, a digital media agency, appointed him as Managing Director, a position which he held until December 2017. The next year, he was appointed CEO, Big Cabal Media.
Co-Founder of Future Africa, Andela and Flutterwave, Iyin Aboyeji, is also confirmed as a speaker for this year’s edition of NECLive. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from the University of Waterloo, Canada. In 2014 he co-founded Andela, a talent accelerator company that specialises in scouting and discovering software developers. In 2015, he co-founded Future Africa, a platform that connects innovators and investors. The following year, he again co-founded Flutterwave, which specialises in payment solutions.
Host of this year’s event, Bolanle Olukanni, is a television presenter known for hosting Moments with Mo on DStv and Project Fame West Africa.
Bolanle holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and International Studies from Loyola University, Chicago. In 2015, she co-founded multimedia production company Sage & Walls, and in 2017, produced ‘God’s Wives’, her first documentary. She recently hosted an ‘International Women’s Month Special’ on Channels TV show, Rubbin’ Minds.
“We have gone the extra mile to put together an impressive line-up of participants who will do justice to the subject of this year’s event,” said Femi Falodun, CEO, ID Africa. “They bring a wealth of experience in business, tech, entertainment, and media to the table. They have the expertise to share insights and propose solutions that will lead the industry into a great future.”
The conference will feature a live music performance, comedy set and live stage dramatic exhibition. Viewers worldwide can watch live on Hip TV (DStv channel 324 and GOTV channel 74), stream the event live on www.nec.ng or join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #NECLive8.
NECLive8 is organised by ID Africa in partnership with Huce Valeris, AV Edge, 7even Interactive, HipTV, Megalectrics, EDS, Big Cabal Media, Livespot, and BHM, with sponsorship support from Nigerian Breweries and MultiChoice.
For over 7 years, NECLive has attracted more than 12,000 physical participants and 20 million viewers and audiences on television and digital. Nigerian Entertainment Conference (often stylized as NECLive), with the hashtag #NECLive, is an umbrella conference for the entertainment industry in Nigeria, which continually discusses the trajectory of the sector and shapes the discourse and practices surrounding it.
#NECLive is the marketplace for innovative ideas, products, unveiling dynamic solutions that will connect, engage, and encourage industry collaborations for sustainable socio-economic development; while offering a brighter future on the continent.
