Colette Otusheso, CEO of The Accelerate Media Group, emphasises the urgent need for Africa to own and develop its creative infrastructure rather than relying on external support.
At NECLive 2025, a powerful message resonated from the panel discussion on “Building creative infrastructure to power Africa’s economic growth.” Colette Otusheso brought her extensive expertise to bear on critical questions facing the continent’s creative economy.
With over two decades of experience working with major media platforms, including MNET and Viacom, Otusheso has witnessed firsthand both the potential and the challenges of Africa’s creative sector. Her work on groundbreaking initiatives like Big Brother, Tinsel, and others has demonstrated what is possible when authentic African storytelling meets robust support systems.
When asked to define creative infrastructure from her unique vantage point in the multimedia space, Otusheso’s response was direct and uncompromising. “We need to build our infrastructure properly so that we’re not waiting for somebody else to come and save us,” she stated. “We need to own our infrastructure so that we are not waiting for somebody else to come and save us. We need to invest in education around the infrastructure of the creative sector so that we’re not having to go to somebody else’s country to be able to invest in ourselves.”
Otusheso’s commitment to building creative infrastructure is rooted in her career journey and the gaps she identified along the way. She encountered a recurring frustration: passionate young creators with proposals and ideas, but limited opportunities due to rigid corporate structures. The turning point came with a call from the late Dr Herbert Wigwe, founder of Access Bank. At a time when financial institutions were entering the content space, GT Bank with Ndani TV, UBA with Red TV, and Diamond Bank with their own platform had already launched. Access Bank had Accelerate, a modest digital platform with YouTube shows and minimal web content. Faced with the decision to leave one of the world’s biggest media companies for a startup venture, Otusheso saw an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. “It was ours,” she explained. “This is like an African product that we wanted and were going to create.”
When addressing how media organisations can better partner with government agencies to scale the creative workforce, Otusheso was characteristically direct: “I think it goes back to collaboration. I think the government is trying, but you can do better,” she stated. “I think that you need to give power to the people who have been there, done it and can do it. They’ve shown workings, as we would say. You cannot continue to give this kind of important work to people who do not understand what needs to be done.”
She emphasised the need for better public-private partnerships, noting that such collaborations work successfully around the world but somehow aren’t materialising in Africa. The creative economy, she stressed, has moved beyond soft power: “It’s not even soft power anymore. This is a real economy. There’s billions of dollars in this space. There are a lot of people that this is their livelihood.”
However, she stated, “We will not get to the promised land if we do not have the right people in place.” Still speaking on the topic, she added, “Every time you guys want to engage, you always have the wrong people in the room. Start having the right people in the room who have actually done the work and shown workings. We know what to do. We know the infrastructure to put in place. Let us take that burden off you, and let us do it properly.”
With proper partnerships involving those with proven track records, she argued, banks, telecommunications companies, and oil companies would be incentivised to invest. “Even if you do it at CSR, you will get those tax rebates. But it’s for us to have the right people in the room so we know how to forge forward.”
Colette Otusheso’s message at NECLive 2025 serves as both a challenge and a roadmap for Africa’s creative future. Her call for genuine ownership, strategic partnerships, and the empowerment of proven industry leaders reflects a broader truth that Africa’s creative economy will only reach its full potential when the continent stops waiting for external validation and instead invests in its own infrastructure, talent, and vision.
