By Abiodun Abdullai
Africa's first sustainable recycling festival, Artistic Pulse Festival (APF), is set to celebrate Nigeria's creativity, cultural heritage, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Scheduled to hold from December 3–7, 2025, at the Remembrance Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, the festival will feature exhibitions, live performances, symposiums, debates, and creative workshops designed to promote sustainability through innovation and recycling.
Themed "Footprints of Interconnectivity, Growth and Expansion: Creativity, Culture, Commerce and Innovation," the five-day event aims to position Nigeria's creative economy as a driver of inclusive growth, linking young innovators, entrepreneurs, and global partners.
Co-founder and Creative Director of APF, Dr. Ngozi Omambala, said the festival seeks to strengthen the creative value chain across art, fashion, film, and technology, while fostering collaborations that promote job creation and tourism.
"We need festivals like this to create tourism, jobs, and trade fairs where everyone contributes positively to the economy," Omambala said.
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She added that the initiative was designed to reconnect Nigerian artists with their home audience, under the festival's campaign theme "Home is where the heart is."
Also speaking, Ms. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Co-founder of Lagos Island Connect, described the festival as "an exposition of the soul of the city," noting its potential to strengthen community engagement and economic inclusion.
"The investment and benefits should not only accrue to organisers but also positively impact local communities and the environment," she said.
Ms. Shade Bembatoum-Young, Honorary Life Vice President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), emphasised the importance of promoting Nigerian-made products and preserving cultural identity.
"Promoting homegrown products is about more than economics — it's about pride in who we are," she said. "The Artistic Pulse Festival celebrates local innovation and sustainable enterprise on a global stage."
The Artistic Pulse Festival is expected to attract diverse stakeholders from the creative and business communities, reinforcing Nigeria's position as a continental hub for sustainable cultural and commercial innovation.