Mainstack plans to host Moment 2026 at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The event will run from March 13th to 15th and expects over 4,000 creators to attend. The gathering features 100+ speakers and 150+ global and local brands across three stages.
What Makes Moment 2026 Different
Most creator conferences focus on North American or European markets. Moment 2026 addresses problems African creators face daily. The conference tackles payment barriers, cross-border commerce challenges, and limited access to brand partnerships that have held back creator earnings across the continent.
Mainstack designs the event around six content tracks. Each track addresses specific creator needs. Content creators, filmmakers, and podcasters can attend sessions on storytelling formats and monetization strategies. Designers, musicians, and visual artists have dedicated tracks exploring how they turn cultural expression into commerce.
The conference includes sessions on gaming, AI, and fintech platforms powering Africa’s creator economy. Business-focused tracks cover raising funding and scaling across borders. Policy discussions bring together governments, platforms, and institutions to address data governance and creative rights.
The Speaker Lineup Reflects Industry Diversity
Moment 2026 brings together creators who have built successful businesses across different niches. Fisayo Fosudo, a tech and finance content creator, joins the lineup alongside MissTechy, who works as both a tech content creator and digital strategist. Salem King, who educates others about the creator economy, will share insights from building an audience.
Nigerian rapper and entrepreneur Jude Abaga (M.I) will speak about building TASCK Nigeria and bridging music with business. Chude Jideonwo, who hosts the syndicated talk show #WithChude, chairs the Fourthmainland Creator Fund and brings perspective on content that drives conversations. Tech journalist Fatu, founder of Big Tech This Week, adds media industry expertise to the discussions.
The lineup also includes Adeife Adeoye, founder of Remote WorkHER and social media strategist, plus lifestyle content creator Victoire Mahounou. These speakers have built audiences ranging from thousands to millions while creating sustainable income streams.
Why African Creators Need Better Infrastructure
Payment restrictions cost African creators billions annually. Nigerian creators cannot access PayPal for receiving payments. Kenyan creators face high transaction fees that eat into their earnings. Many African creators resort to using foreign platforms that do not understand local market conditions.
Mainstack CEO Ayobami Oyaleke and co-founder Olamide Akinola built their platform after seeing these payment challenges firsthand. Both founders previously worked at Meta and Google before launching Mainstack as a venture-backed startup. The platform now enables creators to receive payments in over 135 currencies without monthly fees.
The company participated in TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 200 in 2023 and emerged as one of the top 20 startups. Mainstack secured backing from Techstars and Midlothian Angel Network. The platform provides no-code tools that let creators build websites, sell products, manage bookings, and collect payments globally.
How Moment 2026 Addresses Real Problems
The conference format moves beyond typical panels and presentations. Mainstack structures the event to create direct connections between creators and brands. The 150+ participating brands represent potential partnerships that can increase creator earnings beyond ad revenue alone.
The business and growth track focuses on practical strategies for raising funding and expanding into new markets. These sessions matter because scaling a creator business across African borders involves navigating different currencies, tax systems, and regulatory requirements.
Policy discussions at the conference bring together stakeholders who can actually change how platforms treat African creators. These conversations cover data governance, platform accountability, and creative rights protections that affect how creators earn and own their work.
The Economic Case For Creator Investment
The projected growth from $3 billion to $17.8 billion by 2030 represents a 28.5% increase in Africa’s creator economy. This growth rate outpaces many traditional industries. Investors who understand this trend can position themselves early in a market that shows strong fundamentals.
Nigerian content creators have turned short comedy skits into businesses that generate substantial income through brand deals. These creators earn more from partnerships than from platform monetization programs. The shift shows how African creators find alternative revenue streams when traditional monetization falls short.
The conference includes a session titled “Betting on Creators: The $500K Fund” that brings funding conversations directly to creators who need capital. This approach differs from traditional investment conferences where creators rarely get access to decision-makers.
Awards Night Celebrates Creative Excellence
Moment 2026 closes on March 15th with a black-tie awards ceremony. Mainstack describes this as “Africa’s Grammy for creators.” The awards night recognizes creative excellence, business growth, and cultural impact across different creator categories.
This celebration matters beyond recognition. Awards create benchmarks for success that inspire other creators and show brands which creators deliver exceptional work. The visibility from awards can translate into partnerships and opportunities that increase creator earnings.
Mainstack hosting Africa’s largest creator conference signals maturation in how the continent approaches the creator economy. The company moves beyond just providing tools to creating community infrastructure that connects all ecosystem players.
The conference also demonstrates that African tech companies can organize world-class events that compete with established international conferences. This organizational capability matters because events bring investment attention, media coverage, and networking opportunities that accelerate ecosystem growth.
Moment 2026 creates space for African creators to learn from each other, connect with brands that value their work, and access resources that help them build sustainable businesses. The three days in Lagos this March could shape how thousands of creators approach their craft and commerce for years ahead.
