Nigeria Hosting Africa’s First Sustainable Recycling Festival in Lagos

Nigeria is set to host Africa’s first recycling festival, the Artistic Pulse Festival (APF), which will celebrate creativity, culture, and commerce while promoting environmental responsibility through recycling and sustainability.

The five-day event, scheduled for December 3–7 at the Remembrance Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, will feature showcases of art, music, fashion, food, film, and technology. It will also include symposiums, debates, creative workshops, a children’s art gallery and play zone, and performances by local and international artists.

With the theme “Footprints of Interconnectivity, Growth and Expansion: Creativity, Culture, Commerce and Innovation,” the festival aims to connect creativity with sustainability, fostering collaboration among young creatives, entrepreneurs, and local communities.

Co-founder and creative director Dr Ngozi Omambala said the festival aims to strengthen Nigeria’s creative ecosystem and connect it to global markets, positioning the creative industry as a key driver of economic growth.

“We need festivals like this to create tourism, generate jobs, and drive communities through trade fairs where everyone contributes to the economy,” she said, stressing the role of collaboration and local participation in building a thriving creative economy.

Omambala also urged Nigerian artists to reconnect with their home audiences, noting that while international recognition is valuable, homegrown festivals like APF provide opportunities to celebrate culture locally. “Home is where the heart is,” she said. “Join the movement. Feel the pulse.”

Co-founder of Lagos Island Connect, Ms Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, described the festival as “an expose of the soul of a city,” highlighting its potential to promote community inclusion and sustainable impact.

“It should benefit the community and positively impact the environment. The rewards should not be limited to the organisers but shared locally and in the long term,” she said.

Similarly, Honorary Life vice president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Ms Shade Bembatoum-Young, emphasised the festival’s importance in promoting Nigerian-made products and cultural identity.

“Nigeria’s cultural values are rooted in community, creativity, and craftsmanship. Promoting homegrown products is about pride in who we are,” she said, adding that the Artistic Pulse Festival showcases local innovation and sustainable enterprise on a global stage.

The festival is expected to serve as a hub for creative collaboration and sustainable commerce, spotlighting Nigeria’s growing creative economy as a catalyst for youth empowerment and environmental consciousness across Africa.