Live54+ Unveils Pan-African Creative Network to Connect East Africa’s Talent Economy

Africa’s creative sector is booming. Music streams are rising globally, youth culture is shaping brand conversations, and digital platforms are amplifying local voices beyond national borders. Yet behind the momentum lies a persistent challenge: fragmentation. Creative businesses often thrive within individual markets—but struggle to scale regionally in a structured, sustainable way.

A newly launched multinational platform, Live54+, believes it has the answer.

Officially unveiled on February 18, 2026, in Nairobi, Live54+ positions itself as an integrated creative ecosystem designed to unify media, marketing, entertainment and talent management businesses across East Africa and beyond. With a coordination hub in Nairobi and operational presence in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana, the group aims to eliminate the silos that have historically limited cross-border creative growth.

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From Independent Players to an Integrated Ecosystem

Rather than forming a traditional holding company, Live54+ is structured as a collaborative network. It brings together established brands such as Buzz Group Africa, Swangz Avenue and NRG Radio, among others, under a unified strategic vision.

Each entity retains its identity and leadership, but now operates within a coordinated framework that integrates shared production assets, audience data, legal systems and strategic planning functions.

The intention is clear: create a seamless “creative flywheel” where content, talent, distribution and brand partnerships reinforce each other across markets.

Speaking at the launch, Group CEO Julius Kyazze described the move as a structural shift in how Africa’s creative economy can operate.

“Live54+ isn’t simply a consolidation of businesses. It is a belief that Africa’s creative economy can become a serious engine for growth, job creation and global relevance,” Kyazze said.

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Why Fragmentation Has Limited Scale

While African creativity has global appeal, operational fragmentation has slowed regional expansion. Companies often face varying regulatory requirements, inconsistent quality standards and limited data-sharing mechanisms when entering neighboring markets.

This has meant that a campaign or entertainment product successful in one country does not automatically translate into regional scale.

Live54+ intends to address this by standardizing strategy while preserving local cultural nuance. The Nairobi hub will coordinate regional efforts, ensuring that brands operating across Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Kigali and Accra receive consistent execution backed by shared resources.

The model reflects a growing recognition that integration—not competition between neighboring markets—may be the key to unlocking continental growth.

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Nairobi as the Strategic Anchor

The decision to centralize coordination in Nairobi underscores Kenya’s position as a regional business and media hub. With established infrastructure, strong connectivity and a maturing digital ecosystem, the city provides a foundation for managing multi-market operations.

However, Live54+ emphasizes that this is not a Kenya-centric model. Supporting offices across East Africa and West Africa will maintain local execution strength while feeding into the broader network.

The group also operates strategic offices in Dubai and Mauritius, signaling ambitions to connect African creative output with global markets and diaspora audiences.

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Data, Distribution and Consistency

A defining feature of the Live54+ model is its emphasis on data-driven creativity. By integrating audience insights from radio, digital and experiential platforms within its portfolio, the group aims to deliver campaigns rooted in measurable consumer behavior.

In markets where execution quality can vary widely, consistency becomes a competitive advantage. Brands seeking multi-country campaigns often face coordination challenges when working with separate agencies in each market. Live54+ promises a single, harmonized system capable of delivering uniform standards without diluting local authenticity.

For clients, that could translate into streamlined reporting, unified strategy and stronger cross-border reach.

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Creating Mobility for Talent

Beyond brand services, Live54+ places significant emphasis on talent development and mobility. African creatives frequently encounter barriers when attempting to scale beyond their home markets, from limited distribution to fragmented management structures.

By building an integrated platform, the group hopes to create smoother regional pathways for artists, producers, marketers and strategists. Cross-border collaboration, rather than isolated national growth, becomes the norm.

This approach aligns with broader continental trends, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to enhance economic integration. In the creative economy, Live54+ appears to be applying similar principles—removing structural barriers to unlock scale.

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Ambition Beyond East Africa

While the immediate focus remains on strengthening the East African corridor, Live54+ has outlined plans to expand into 10 African markets by 2030. The long-term ambition is to build a resilient, startup-driven creative powerhouse capable of competing globally.

Executives describe the ecosystem as growth-oriented and job-creation focused, prioritizing innovation over rigid corporate hierarchy. The structure allows businesses within the network to maintain entrepreneurial agility while benefiting from shared institutional support.

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A Signal of Industry Maturity

The launch of Live54+ signals a broader shift within Africa’s creative industries. As talent pools expand and audiences grow increasingly interconnected, the need for integrated platforms becomes more urgent.

For years, African creativity has thrived in bursts of individual brilliance—hit songs, viral campaigns, standout events. What has often been missing is the structural backbone required for sustained, multi-market scale.

Live54+ is positioning itself as that backbone.

Whether it succeeds will depend on execution, alignment and the ability to balance centralized coordination with local authenticity. But its emergence reflects an evolving understanding: Africa’s creative future may depend less on isolated success stories and more on connected ecosystems built for regional and global reach.

In an industry long defined by fragmentation, Live54+ is making a bold case for unity as the next phase of growth.