Funke Akindele recently convened young women for the Creative Blueprint 2.0, igniting purpose, mentorship, and bold steps toward shaping Nigeria’s next generation of creative industry leaders, writes Bennett Oghifo
The atmosphere was charged and exhilarating as a large population of women, made up of mostly young ladies aged between 18 and 35, started arriving at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos.
Anybody around the axis would have seen the handwriting on the wall -something big was about to go down at the venue.
The event held recently, was the Creative Blueprint 2.0, Masterclass with Funke Akindele, organised by the foremost filmmaker behind hits such as Jenifa’s Diary, A Tribe Called Judah, Omo Ghetto: The Saga, Everybody Loves Jenifa, among others, and credited with many firsts as far as Nigerian box office records are concerned.
A successful actress, producer and director, Akindele has matched quantity with outstanding quality time and again and is, in her own right, easily one of Nigeria’s leading creative engines.
In the hall, the excitement was palpable, so was the air thick with an infusion of enthusiasm anchored on purpose, ambition and the quiet, yet powerful recognition that something significant was unfolding at the expansive hall.
Being the second edition of the Masterclass, it attracted women from across Nigeria’s creative ecosystem who gathered not just to learn, but to begin their journey of transformation from aspiring creatives to established professionals. The hall was filled with individuals united by a shared goal: to grow, to build, and to take their rightful place in an increasingly competitive global industry.
Hosted by the wonderful duo of Omotunde Adebowale David, a popular OAP, lawyer, and actress, notably recognised for her role as Adaku in Jenifa’s Diary and notable compere, Mojibade Sosanya. If the hosts fed off the energy and excitement of the teeming participants, the supremely talented musician, Yinka Davies, took it notches higher with her spectacular rendition of the National Anthem, setting the tone for firestorm of inspiring conversations and unbridled excitement to come.
The excitement
Roset to a crescendo with the powerful and well-received performance of the incredibly talented saxophonist and child advocate, Temilayo Abodunrin. Launching into a medley of popular songs, including those celebrating womanhood, her time on stage was so moving Funke Akindele was not the only woman who joined her on stage; she got the entire hall rocking.
Akindele, who, in cahoots with the hosts, had played a fast one on the audience as she relayed her disappointment about being absent from the event as captured in a video message moments before, raised the excitement levels to fever pitch when she made a grand entry.
In her opening remarks, she expressed her joy at “seeing so many talent-driven women gathered in one room and for a common goal,” while thanking the event’s sponsors, Wema Bank, Woodhall Capital, Red Brick PR, Dano Milk, among others.
“This is the second edition of this masterclass. When we started last year, the vision was for this masterclass to be an absolute eye opener for women who are ready to take their place and maximize opportunities in the creative ecosystem. The feedback and testimonials from last year were mind-blowing and it reinforced my vision; to create the next generation of female leaders in the global creative space.
“This year, we have invested more time and resources to make this event bigger, better and more intellectually rewarding. This is evident from our line-up of speakers and panellists. We have worked tirelessly to bring together powerful women who have shattered the glass ceilings and have built sterling careers in sectors across music, film, fashion, tech and much more.
“I am certain that this Masterclass will shape someone’s tomorrow. The Creative Blueprint is very personal to me. It comes from reflecting on my journey, the things I had to figure out on my own, and the kind of guidance I wish I had access to earlier. There was no clear path, and there were a lot of uncertainties but I have learned that growth doesn’t happen by chance, it is something you build intentionally. That is why this platform exists: to create a space where knowledge is shared, experiences are passed on, and opportunities are opened,” she said while paying tribute to speakers, panellists and moderators, including Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Mojisola Hunponu-Wusu, Tara Durotoye, Jennifer Awirigwe (Financial Jennifer), Tobi Ayeni (Miss Techy), Bisola Aiyeola, Osas Ighodaro, Niniola, Jade Osiberu, Ruth Kadiri, Rima Tahini-Ighodaro Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (Gbemi O), Ijeoma Balogun, Ladun Awobokun, Yemisi Odusanya (Sisi Yemmie), Amadou Elizabeth (Jarvis), among others.
“The theme for this year: “Giving Today, Gaining Tomorrow” truly captures what this moment is about. What you invest in yourself today, your time, your focus, your willingness to learn will shape who you become tomorrow. So today is not just about listening, it’s about learning, engaging, asking questions, and taking something meaningful away that you can apply to your journey,” Akindele submitted.
Mojisola Hunponu-Wusu, President of Woodhall Capital, soon took to the stage as the day’s first speaker, dwelling on the topic: The Power of Mentorship under the broader theme focusing on How Women Build Wealth, Influence and Opportunity. Taking an unconventional approach to public speaking, Hunponu-Wusu, energised the hall with Destiny’s Child hist song, “Independent Woman” while leading the hall to dance for some time, along with personally bringing a number of young women on stage.
“Mentorship is infrastructure. It is how access is transferred, how confidence is built, and how opportunity becomes tangible,” the Woodhall Capital boss stated while dwelling into her personal story of navigating corporate challenges, overcoming skepticism, and building a global financial institution. Mentorship, she explained, is not just about guidance but about preparation, protection, and positioning.
“A mentor prepares you for the day of attack,” she said. “They see beyond where you are and speak into where you are going,” she added, underlining the fact that success is rarely achieved in isolation as the core of her presentation. More than anything, she said this is the rationale behind the success of the company providing financial services to banks, individuals and corporates which she up 12 years ago and today has offices in Lagos, London, Abuja and Dubai.
With participants showing, through their thunderous applause that her nuggets were well received, the panel session on Women in Film was next. With the likes of Osas Ighodaro, Ruth Kadiri and Jade Osiberu and Bisola Aiyeola and Ladun Awobokun present, the session featured an impressive roster of notable actresses, filmmakers and film business experts. With Aiyeola, a reality TV star turned actress and competent presenter moderating proceedings, the panel had the overriding topic: Women Creating Opportunities in Film.
With a focus on the importance of mentorship and building relationships in the movie industry, Jade Osiberu urged young and aspiring actors and filmmakers to start where they are, be it in church, their neighbourhood or social media and showcase what they have done, while emphasising the essence of mentorship with an incident while trying to secure a loan from the Bank of Industry and Joke Silva, the only woman in the approving panel speaking up for her after her proposal had been torn to shreds by the men. “Mentorship does not necessarily have to be in terms of history; it could be by speaking to your friends and fellow church members and internalising their feedback and ideas to improve. Mentorship can be in form of your mother who is a business woman or auntie, or somebody at church who you can emulate. But in the creative industry, I would say absolutely, look for mentors. But the people you speak to are the people who should mentor you,” she stated.
Asked which structures or disciplines helped her build a sustainable career beyond talent, beauty queen-turned actress, Osas Ighodaro said: “the fact that I have a dream to be here is no small feat, and I don’t want to let my people that have invested their time and their love and their energy in me down. I don’t want to disappoint them, but first, I don’t want to disappoint myself. I don’t want to disappoint my God. So, that ensures me to have the discipline, the tenacity and the determination to power forward. That’s the start of it all for me when it comes to building a career.”
As far as Ruth Kadiri was concerned, being at the event and hearing other women, including those in other sectors talk about challenges made her realize “that a lot of successful women have something in common,” to the effect that you have to summon the extra determination to overcome the barriers. “When I heard ‘don’t take the lift, take the stairs,’ that hit me and I’m like: this is what I’ve been trying to say to young women around me. It just means there was no easy way out for anybody. It wasn’t easy for me, but regardless, there’s energy when you are able to eventually take the steps as a woman.”
The next speaker was Jennifer Awirigwe, popularly known as Financial Jennifer, who spoke on the topic: Making Your Money Work for You. According to her, a paltry 2.9% women participate in the capital market in Nigeria, which makes her sad, given the enormous promises of financial freedom on offer through capital market and other assets.
“I know why this is so interesting, we work so hard for this money, but your money has the opportunity to work harder than you could ever, and that’s what investment does for us now. Investing in the stock market and there are so many platforms to help you do that. It is difficult and you may not have much time but the goal is to create that hunger, get that awareness that puts you in the circle to know about opportunities and key into them.
Like others, the panel session focusing on Women in Music and titled Music: More Than Talent, was another inspired moment of honest conversations and key insights. Moderated by experienced radio personality and former Programmes Director at Beat FM, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, it featured Niniola and Rima Tahini-Ighodaro, Senior VP A&R & Creatives at Mavin Global/Kupanda Capital.
Speaking with journalists on the inspiration behind the event, Akindele added that intentional effort is very important in anything one does in life.
“The first the reason is because I didn’t have access at all. It was very difficult for me to get to this stage. I got a lot of nos, very disappointing nos and I didn’t understand so many things. The knowledge wasn’t there like that and I didn’t have the opportunity of seeing role models; strong women or powerful people in the creative sector organise workshops or trainings for me to learn from. This is my own way of giving back. You know, the more you succeed, you have to pass the baton of knowledge to the younger generation.
“So, I feel I didn’t experience or enjoy this, I need to create a platform for the voices of the younger ones to be heard. I was able to collaborate with professionals in the industry, from PR to marketing and the first edition wasn’t as big as this but it was beautiful. And I’m glad about the testimonies that came through and a lot of the young creatives that came for the last edition are doing so well now. They have their own content creation platforms, their own programmes and some have started their businesses. That is why we expanded it this year.”
Based on the insights and knowledge shared at the Creative Blueprint 2.0: Masterclass with Funke Akindele is more than a gathering. It represents a movement rooted in knowledge, driven by purpose, and sustained by community and which recognises that the future of the Nigerian creative industry depends not just on talent, but on empowerment.
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