• Nigeria’s CBAAC signed a partnership with DigitA to accelerate the digital transformation of African arts and heritage institutions.

• The agreement makes DigitA the CBAAC’s official digital advisor, focusing on capacity building, innovation, and infrastructure.

• The initiative aims to turn culture into a driver of economic growth and global influence through technology.

The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), a Nigerian parastatal institution, has signed a memorandum of understanding with DigitA, an African digital strategy firm, to strengthen the role of technology and innovation in preserving and promoting African culture and heritage.

At the signing ceremony last week, Aisha Adamu Augie, Director-General of the CBAAC, said the partnership reflects the centre’s ambition to use technology as a bridge between Africa’s cultural legacy and global audiences.

“Cultural preservation and promotion in the 21st century must go hand in hand with innovation. This partnership with DigitA reflects our vision to bring African cultural heritage to the world through technology,” Augie said.

Under the agreement, DigitA becomes the official digital advisor to the CBAAC. The firm will design and implement digital transformation strategies, develop technology infrastructure, and deliver capacity-building programs for cultural actors.

The partnership also includes the launch of scalable digital products and innovation initiatives to showcase African arts and heritage on the international stage.

The initiative comes amid a growing push by African cultural institutions to digitize archives, artworks, and oral traditions that risk being lost. The adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and immersive reality tools, offers new ways to preserve, distribute, and monetize Africa’s cultural wealth.

Analysts say such projects could also improve global access to African art and position the continent’s creative sector as a competitive economic industry.

Beyond preservation, the CBAAC–DigitA partnership aims to make digital technology a catalyst for creative and economic development. By integrating innovation into cultural management, both institutions seek to turn Africa’s artistic heritage into a source of employment, innovation, and soft power.

The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s broader efforts to digitize its cultural assets and place Africa “at the heart of global cultural dialogue,” according to the CBAAC.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum