BIO: OBI ASIKA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURE
Obi Asika has been a tireless advocate and a key driver and leader of the creative industries in Nigeria for more than 30 years. Recognized by millions across Africa as a Judge on the popular Nigerian Idol TV show, Obi Asika’s greatest impact in the creative sector has been as a builder, investor and visionary leader. He is an ecosystem builder who has been involved in cross sector collaborations for over a decade, before he entered public officer he convened and launched the Omniverse, a multi sector collaboration platform underlined by the tech ecosystem and bringing the storytelling power of the creative industries to the fore. He is a passionate leader and focused on the huge opportunities that Nigerian soft power can unlock and how we can enable economic growth.

Obi Asika built Storm 360/Storm Records into one of the most successful entertainment brands, ushering the first wave of global success for Nigerian artists and producing the biggest international franchise TV productions on the continent including Big Brother Nigeria, The Apprentice Africa, Dragons Den Nigeria, Naija sings and more. . In 2012, he co-founded Social Media Week Lagos, which became the biggest new media and technology conference in Africa and in the realm of sports, he led a company that managed the sponsor rights and event management for the FIFA U20 World Cup in 1999, as well as the African Nations cup hosted by Nigeria and Ghana i 2000 and Mali 2002 tournaments.

In 2015, Obi Asika became the first person appointed by the President to a Cabinet-rank position overseeing the portfolio of digital policy & social media. He has since served on more than 15 Government committees across different Administrations, including Chairman, Technical Sub-Committee of the Federal Government of Nigeria Audience Measurement Committee; 2019. National Coordinator, Technical Working Group, Culture, Creativity, Hospitality & Tourism, Nigeria Agenda 2050; Member, Review of Nigeria Broadcast Corporation Code 2020 and Member, Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Olympic Committee since 2021. From his work with the National Sports Policy and the NESG he became a non-executive director of Sport Nigeria which is incubated from the NESG. His team also led the policy that was accepted for the national development plan 2020-2050 as it affects the CCHT (Culture, Creative, Hospitality and Tourism Industries).

Obi Asika has also contributed to the development of the creative and cultural space through his leadership as a director of the board of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), 2012-2017. Trustee, Online Publishing Association of Nigeria, co-Convener of the Africa Soft Power Project and founder of Iba Ajie, a cultural, arts and innovation hub in Onitsha. An internationally renowned thought-leader on the African creative and cultural economy, Obi Asika was appointed in 2014 to the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C. and recently joined the boards of Africa No Filter and DAAR Communications PLC. Additionally, he has delivered presentations at the London Business School, Harvard Business School, Wharton School of Business, MIT, Corporate Council on Africa USA-Africa Summit, and Soccerex among others.

A recipient of numerous local and international honours, Obi Asika was recognized by the African Leadership Network in 2012; named by top US publication Black Enterprise as one of their 100 Modern Men in 2016, and inducted into the Afrobeats Hall of Fame in 2022. Obi Asika was a member of the Cannes Lion Jury for Music in 2024 which is the premium music and innovation platform on the planet.