The Lagos State Government has announced a landmark partnership with the African Cultural Festival (ACF2025)—a project partially sponsored and supported by the Government of Pennsylvania through the Dauphin County Commissioners in the United States. The initiative was conceived by ACI Entertainment, a company with strategic operational bases in both Lagos, Nigeria, and Pennsylvania, USA, to spotlight and elevate Africa’s creative economy on the global stage.
This groundbreaking alliance will kick off with countdown events across Lagos beginning in July 2025, culminating in a major international festival in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from September 19 to 20, 2025.
ACF2025 will bring together a diverse array of stakeholders, including African and diaspora leaders, as well as U.S. legislators, global creatives, entrepreneurs, and cultural powerhouses, to celebrate and commercialise the spirit of Africa under the theme: “ Africa to the World: Culture, Creativity, and Collaboration.
Following its official unveiling at the Pennsylvania Capitol Rotunda on March 26, 2025, with cultural giants: Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, Phillis Bennett and Chief Dr. Nike Okundaye, ACF2025 has evolved into a powerful movement to reconnect the continent and its diaspora. It is a call to action, a celebration, and a catalyst for lasting socio-economic transformation.
Festival Highlights Include:
- Africa Arise – A High-Level Leadership Summit
- The ACF Marketplace – showcasing African fashion, art, food, enterprise, and innovation
- The African Diaspora Summit
- NextGen Connect – Youth Leadership Forum
- Africa Pride on the Runway
- The Grand Opening and Closing Ceremonies
- The Official Launch of Duduplugs – a digital innovation hub linking Africa’s creative and economic sectors to the global stage
A cultural explosion awaits through immersive experiences like The Duduplugs Voyage to Africa, featuring all nine cultural and economic connectors: fashion, music, art, tech, film, dance, literature, food, and home. With a strong focus on youth engagement, heritage preservation, cross-continental trade and investment, ACF2025 positions Pennsylvania as the emerging hub for Africa’s global influence. Duduplugs' voyage sign-up will bring instant Tourism to Lagos state starting next year.
One of the most anticipated highlights is the African I-D-E-N-T-I-T-Y Exhibition—a powerful expression of the African spirit through storytelling, visual arts, and film.
Lagos Leads Africa’s Global Creative Movement
As the undisputed capital of creativity in Africa, Lagos will showcase its world-renowned heritage, industries, and human capital at the festival. From fashion and food to technology and trade, the Lagos State delegation will comprise talented creatives, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Through this platform, Lagos will forge global cultural and business partnerships, foster diaspora engagement, and attract high-impact investments.
In alignment with its vision for economic diversification and cultural diplomacy, Lagos will utilise the ACF2025 platform to enhance its global influence, foster youth empowerment, and position African talent and innovation at the forefront of nternational discourse.
As the undisputed capital of creativity in Africa, Lagos will showcase its world-renowned heritage, industries, and human capital at the festival. From fashion and food to technology and trade, the Lagos State delegation will comprise talented creatives, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Through this platform, Lagos will forge global cultural and business partnerships, foster diaspora engagement, and attract high-impact investments.