LIFANIMA, Nigeria's animation festival, has announced the panelists set to feature at its 10th anniversary edition, holding October 20 to 22, 2026, at the Mike Adenuga Centre on Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. The lineup brings together figures from banking, academia, government and animation studios across Africa and the Middle East.
Hon. Aisha Adamu Augie, Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization, will deliver the keynote address. Her agency is co-running this year's FESTAC '77 at 50 programming with LIFANIMA, making her keynote a natural extension of that partnership. Francis Onwochei, a television and film producer and consultant, will moderate the panel sessions.
Joining the lineup is Dr. Isa E. Omagu, General Manager in the MD/CEO's office at the Bank of Industry, one of LIFANIMA's co-sponsors. Mohamed Ghazala, an associate professor at the School of Cinematic Arts at Effat University in Saudi Arabia and Vice President of the International Animated Film Association, brings an academic and global animation perspective to the panel.
Two studio founders round out the lineup. Ferdy Adimefe, founder and CEO of Magic Carpet Studios, has built a reputation producing animated content that draws on African folklore and stories. Adja Mariam Soro, founder and CEO of Studio KÄ in Abidjan, represents West Africa's growing Francophone animation scene, reflecting the festival's continued push to connect animators across language and regional lines.
The panel announcement follows LIFANIMA's confirmation of a record 1,298 short film entries from over 120 countries this year, with 110 films from 25 countries making the official selection. Registration to attend the festival remains open at www.lifanima.com.
