Mapping Namibia’s creative industry ecosystem

“If we can show it, we can grow it”

Namibia’s creative industries are easy to see, but much harder to measure. They are present in the films we produce, the buildings we design, the music we listen to, the fashion we wear, the crafts visitors take home, the stories we publish and the cultural experiences through which Namibia presents itself to the world.

Together, these activities represent far more than cultural expression. They generate businesses, income and employment, attract visitors and investment, stimulate innovation and contribute to how Namibia is experienced and understood as a destination.

Yet one fundamental question remains surprisingly difficult to answer: What does Namibia’s creative economy actually look like?

Since February 2026, the Creative Industry Institute Africa (CIIA), in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, through its Directorate of Arts, and other partners, has been working to answer this question through the Creative Industry Guide 2026/2027 National Mapping Campaign.

First launched in 2018, the Creative Industry Guide pioneered the systematic mapping of Namibia’s creative sector, providing valuable data and context at a time when the economic contribution of the creative industries received far less attention. Three editions have since been produced, including a special Film & Technology edition in 2021.

The 2026/2027 edition builds on this foundation while responding to a creative landscape that has changed considerably.

The timing is significant. Namibia’s creative industries are increasingly being recognised for their potential to contribute to economic growth, employment, entrepreneurship and innovation. But recognition must be supported by evidence.

How many creative businesses are operating in Namibia? Where are they located? How many people do they employ? How do creative products and services reach their markets? What skills and infrastructure are needed for businesses to grow? And what challenges require targeted intervention?

Without reliable information, it is difficult to answer these questions or to design effective policies, programmes and investment strategies. Better data allows us to move the conversation about the creative economy from assumptions to informed decision-making.

Information collected through the Creative Industry Guide will therefore be analysed to provide a clearer picture of the sector’s structure, economic activity, employment, market reach, skills, infrastructure needs and key challenges. Individual research responses will remain protected, with findings presented in aggregated and anonymised form. The guide also serves an important practical purpose.

“Yet one fundamental question remains surprisingly difficult to answer: What does Namibia’s creative economy actually look like?”

A comprehensive national directory makes Namibia’s creative professionals, businesses and organisations easier to discover. It creates greater visibility for potential clients, collaborators, investors, institutions and development partners, both locally and internationally.

For a country seeking to position itself as a destination for tourism, investment, innovation and cultural experiences, this visibility has real economic value.

Namibia’s filmmakers, musicians, designers, architects, craftspeople, artists, writers, performers and cultural entrepreneurs are not only part of the country’s cultural identity; they are part of its economic story. Their work creates products, services, intellectual property, businesses and employment while shaping the way Namibia is presented to the world.

The National Mapping Campaign is therefore an invitation to the entire creative sector to help build a more complete picture of this ecosystem.

Creative practitioners, businesses, organisations and institutions across Namibia are encouraged to claim their existing listing or create a new one while the national mapping process is still underway.

Participation is not simply about being included in a directory. It is about contributing to the evidence needed to demonstrate the scale, diversity and potential of Namibia’s creative economy. “Because if we can show the creative economy, we can better understand its value. And if we can understand its value, we can grow it.”

From the September 2026 issue

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