Women in Marketing Africa (WiM Africa), led by Chief Executive Officer Andrea Djan-Krofa, alongside the Women in Advertising Committee of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), will convene senior marketing, advertising and creative industry leaders, including Seun Adaramola, Marketing Director, West Africa, Visa; Osato Evbuomwan, Senior Director, Marketing, Coca-Cola; and Esosa Osagiede, Group Creative Director, Insight Publicis, at the Real Talk Lagos Debate on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, at La Bamba, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
The gathering will examine how Nigeria can translate its growing creative influence into stronger commercial results, original work and sustained international recognition, bringing together perspectives from brands, agencies, media, regulation and the wider creative economy.
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Organised around the theme, “From Creative Ambition to Impact: Is Nigeria Realising Its Creative Potential?”, the debate will explore the opportunities and structural challenges shaping the country’s marketing and advertising industries.
Although Nigerian music, film, fashion and popular culture have gained considerable international attention, questions remain about whether the same level of influence is being converted into globally competitive advertising, sustainable creative businesses and greater investment in local talent.
The discussion will therefore look beyond the availability of creative talent to consider the conditions required to produce ambitious work, including funding, client-agency relationships, consumer understanding, regulatory frameworks and leadership.
Joining Adaramola, Evbuomwan and Osagiede on the panel are Emme Akande, Director of Regulation Monitoring and Enforcement at the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON); Addy Awofisayo, Creative Economy Strategist and Founder of Adeola Studios; Fiona Uwagwu, Managing Director, Special Projects and Chief Digital Officer at First Primus Group; and Brenda Nwagwu, President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN).
The session will be moderated by Oluwaseyi Layade, Chief Operating Officer of Leo Burnett Lagos and Chairperson of Women in Advertising.
The programme will also feature a fireside conversation with Steve Babaeko, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas and Vice-President, Africa, of the International Advertising Association (IAA), hosted by Katharina Link, Chief Executive Officer of Pulse Africa and Business Insider Africa.
Kantar will serve as the official insights partner, contributing an evidence-led perspective on the relationship between creativity, cultural relevance, consumer engagement and business growth.
Tamara Ojeaga, Client Growth and Commercial Partner at Kantar, is listed among the programme speakers.
Explaining the thinking behind the gathering, Djan-Krofa said the conversation was intended to examine what happens between creative ambition and measurable results.
In an article published by Pulse Nigeria on 30 October, she wrote: “I wanted to have this conversation because celebrating talent only takes us so far. We also need to examine what happens to an idea after someone presents it.”
She further highlighted the importance of examining who supports creative ideas, how they are developed, the investment behind their execution and who ultimately benefits when successful work reaches the market.
Djan-Krofa also stressed that the debate would bring different parts of the industry into the same conversation rather than place responsibility on one group.
The approach reflects the series’ evolving format.
According to WiM Africa, the Lagos edition will bring together representatives from across the creative ecosystem rather than rely solely on the traditional opposing-team debate structure.
The event will also feature audience participation, live polling and questions, allowing attendees to contribute perspectives and challenge assumptions about the industry’s development.
For Layade, collaboration across the sector remains central to unlocking Nigeria’s creative potential.
She has emphasised that brands, agencies, creatives, media owners and industry leaders all have responsibilities in creating an environment where ambitious ideas can thrive.
The Lagos gathering forms part of WiM Africa’s wider Real Talk Debate Series, which began in 2022 as a platform for candid conversations about the experiences and professional advancement of women in marketing, advertising and business.
Over time, the initiative has developed into a broader industry debate platform, bringing women and male allies together through networking, knowledge sharing, partnerships and recognition.
Previous editions have addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on Africa’s creative sector in Accra, the relationship between brands and Generation Z in Johannesburg, and the authenticity of African representation by global brands in Nairobi.
The Nairobi edition, held in June 2026, attracted more than 100 industry attendees, with representatives from organisations including Mastercard, NBA Africa, WPP, Belva Digital, Safaricom and Kantar.
WiM Africa, the pan-African arm of the global Women in Marketing network, was launched in 2018 and has developed a professional community connecting marketing and communications leaders across African markets and the diaspora.
The Lagos edition is being co-hosted by the Women in Advertising Committee of AAAN, with Kantar supporting the programme as its insights partner.
Registration and networking are scheduled to begin at 4 pm, followed by opening remarks, the fireside conversation, industry insights and the main debate.
The programme is expected to conclude at 8.30 pm.
By bringing decision-makers from different parts of the industry together, the gathering offers an important opportunity to examine how Nigeria can move beyond celebrating creative talent towards building the investment, partnerships and structures needed to sustain its influence.
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Ultimately, the conversation will seek to establish what needs to change for Nigerian creativity to achieve greater cultural, commercial and international impact.
