We Brought Nigeria’s Most Promising Young Creators Together for the BellaNaija Next Gen Creator House | See Photos

On 25 June 2026, we opened our doors to some of Nigeria’s most promising young creators, and what happened inside was exactly what we hoped it would be. The BellaNaija Next Gen Creator House, our full-day immersive workshop for creators between the ages of 18 and 25, built in partnership with Google Gemini, was one of the most rewarding things we have done in our 20th anniversary year, and we mean that.

The room was full of young people who are serious about their craft, and we made sure they left with more than inspiration. Through workshops, mentorship sessions, creator challenges, interactive discussions, and live Google Gemini sessions, we brought some of the most respected names in Nigeria’s creative industry into the same space as the next generation, Toke Makinwa, Tosin Ajibade, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, Korty EO, Abisola Alawode, Uzoamaka Power, and Taiwo Kola–Ogunlade, and let the conversations flow.

The conversations were as practical as they were candid. Toke Makinwa encouraged creators to be hungry for success, following their paths and dreams regardless of how unconventional they might look. Enioluwa Adeoluwa pushed back against the idea of treating content creation as a hobby, telling attendees to bring the same structure to their craft that any professional would bring to a career. “You should provide structure around what you do, have your work hours, and team if you can afford it. Above all, create,” he said.

Korty EO shared the thinking behind her approach to interviewing: “Be interested in your guests, be curious about them and their journeys, that is the only way you can have great conversations with them.” Tosin Ajibade kept her advice precise and memorable: “Follow the trend but evolve while at it.” Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade encouraged creators to let their analytics guide their decisions in an increasingly algorithm-driven world, while Uzoamaka Power made a case for authenticity over imitation.

For creators working within organisations rather than independently, Abisola Alawode offered a reframe: you do not need to be an entrepreneur to be a creator, you can build within the structures you already belong to, within your organisation’s policies and vision.

As a platform turning 20, this event meant something personal to us too. Our Head of Editorial and Innovation, Oluwadunsin Sanya, spoke about what two decades of positive storytelling has taught us, and the responsibility that comes with the platform we have built. “The stories you tell today are the stories we’ll become tomorrow,” she said, and it is a line that stayed with everyone in that room.

Our Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy Mary Edoro, who served as Programme Director of the Next Gen Creator House, put it best when she described what we were really trying to do: “Next Gen Creator House is BellaNaija’s answer to a question we’ve been asking ourselves throughout our 20th anniversary year: what does it mean to genuinely invest in the next generation, not just talk about them? This wasn’t just a conference about young creators. It is a space we have intentionally built for them, with the tools, mentorship, and access to actually build something real for Africa’s future.”

       

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