The iKON Awards has staged its latest iKON Activate event in Nairobi, Kenya, deepening its mission to strengthen cross-continental film collaboration as part of its rapidly expanding African engagement strategy.
Held at The Location Rooftop, the Nairobi gathering marked yet another step in the growing continental momentum that iKON has cultivated throughout the year.
iKON Activate serves as a launch platform building excitement ahead of the annual iKON Awards. The 2025 rollout aims to bring together influential voices from across Africa’s film ecosystem, nurturing collaboration, forging strategic partnerships, and energizing regional creative networks.
This drive is anchored in the “Beyond Borders” theme, which champions the vision of a unified African film landscape, one that transcends geographical divides and celebrates cross-cultural storytelling.
The initiative’s continental tour began in September 2025 with the inaugural Activate in Lagos, Nigeria. That first event attracted high-profile Nollywood figures, including Ramsey Nouah, Chris Odeh, Majid Michel, and Damilola Adegbite.
Building on that momentum, the Nairobi Activate continued laying the groundwork for the upcoming fourth edition of the iKON Awards, slated for March 21, 2026, at the Serena Hotel in Kampala.
The Nairobi event provided an important platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange, reinforcing iKON’s mission to transform the awards into a truly regional institution, one that brings together filmmakers from Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and beyond.
Notable Kenyan industry figures in attendance included: Krysteen Savane – Director, Annos One Fine Day Arts Centre, Ledama Sempele – Producer & Vice Treasurer, Kenya Television and Film Professionals Association, Eddah Kirui – Producer & Vice Secretary, Kenya Television and Film Professionals Association, Toni Kamau – Director/Producer & Founder, We Are Not the Machine, Lwanda Jawar – Actor, Brian Abaja – Actor, Single Kiasi, Mitchelle Kimathi – Kenya Country Manager, MTV Staying Alive Foundation.
“Africa’s film industry is a powerful force for employment and a platform for telling our stories in our own voices. These iKON Activate activities are designed to connect those voices,” said Humphrey Nabimanya, film producer and founder of the iKON Awards.
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