The third edition of the +234 Art Fair is scheduled to return to the Ecobank Pan-African Centre in Victoria Island from Thursday (today) to Sunday, with a special focus on inclusivity.
The PUNCH reports that the +234 Art Fair is an initiative of Ecobank Nigeria and Soto Gallery, with the African Finance Corporation serving as a major partner. The fair is dedicated to supporting young, ungaleried, and emerging Nigerian artists.
According to the organisers of the event, the 2026 theme, “Inclusivity: Widening the Frame”, represents a strategic effort to broaden representation within the art ecosystem and provide visibility for under-represented voices.
The Head of SMEs at Ecobank Nigeria, Omoboye Odu, who represented the Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Bolaji Lawal, emphasised that inclusivity means opening more doors for young artists and facilitating deeper conversations between art and enterprise.
Odu stated, “When most people hear ‘+234’, we think of a phone number, right? When we think of a nation calling the world, and this week, I am pleased to say the world is picking up the phone. We are proud to once again host the +234 Art Fair here at the Ecobank Pan-African Centre, a space where finance meets creativity, where boardrooms shake hands with brushstrokes, and where capital meets the campus. This year’s theme is inclusivity, and for us, inclusivity is not a buzzword. It is not a trend.
“Inclusivity means more doors open for young artists, more visibility for markets and more visibility for under-represented voices, more access to markets and platforms and more conversations between art and enterprise and, yes, more collectors discovering that art appreciation can also be appreciated. So, beyond beauty, beyond the colours, the textures and conversations, this fair represents something bigger.
Nigeria’s creative economy is not just vibrant; it is investable. It is scalable. It is incredible, and it is exportable.”
The Founder of Soto Gallery and Curator of the fair, Tola Akerele, described the initiative as a movement designed to “amplify Nigerian voices” and connect artists to wider markets across Africa and beyond.
She said, “This is the third year, and every year we have a theme. This year’s theme is inclusivity, and the platform is generally about being inclusive because we are trying to open up the art world and system. We have actually spotlighted inclusivity this year. What does it mean to be inclusive? We do a poll for the artists each year, and we put it out on social media, and artists respond to us. But this year, we have actually gone out ourselves, and we have travelled around 17 states in Nigeria over 33 days looking for artists in underserved communities.
“So, we have a team of curators, documenters, photographers, and social media to really see artists one on one. And I think what we realised more than ever is that this platform is really big, and an impact is being made. We met others who had participated, who had heard of it or had not heard of it, and who were a bit afraid and who wanted to come but could not come. So to go out on the field and actually meet them face-to-face is incredible. And so, we documented the travel.”
The fair has quickly established itself as a premier cultural platform. Across its first two editions in 2024 and 2025, the event recorded over 18,000 visitors and showcased more than 1,100 artworks. Participation has also grown, with the number of artists increasing from 200 in 2024 to 260 in 2025. Notably, the fair trended as the top topic on X (formerly Twitter) during both previous editions, underscoring its significant national visibility.
Stakeholders view the fair not just as a cultural celebration but as a serious economic driver. In a statement, the President and Chief Executive Officer of AFC, Samaila Zubairu, noted that the corporation’s continued partnership underscores the commercial potential embedded within Africa’s creative industries.
“Now in our third year of supporting the +234 Art Fair, AFC remains committed to championing platforms that unlock the commercial and cultural value of Africa’s creative industries. The Fair reflects the power of Africa’s young, dynamic talent to drive innovation, enterprise and global cultural influence,” he said.
The free-entry exhibition will showcase a diverse range of mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, digital art, and children’s art. The 2026 programme is designed to be a “melting pot” of artistic expression, featuring curated exhibitions of emerging and established talents; masterclasses and workshops for skills development; panel sessions connecting the worlds of finance and the arts; live art installations; high-level networking sessions; and specialised areas including a children’s creative zone, a collectors’ lounge, and curated culinary experiences.
Ecobank said that the fair is part of its broader engagement with the creative sector. The bank has reinforced its presence through other flagship platforms such as Adire Lagos, Oja Oge, and the Lagos Pop-Up Museum.
