ÀLKÉ, a pan-African cultural institution founded by Lulu Shabell, has unveiled what it describes as a long-term institutional framework to protect African cultural intelligence, strengthen intellectual property (IP) ownership and build infrastructure to scale Africa’s creative economy, the organisation said on June 17, 2026.

The announcement, issued from Nairobi and Cape Town, positions the framework around mechanisms for “ownership, licensing, enterprise development, and long-term capital formation,” according to the press release. ÀLKÉ said it is seeking to address Africa’s relatively small share of the global creative economy by developing African-led institutional structures that translate cultural authorship into protected and investable value.

The move comes as global trade in creative products and services expands. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported that creative services exports reached $1.4 trillion (about KES 181.3 trillion) in 2022, while creative goods exports reached $713 billion (about KES 92.0 trillion). UNCTAD data also showed developing countries increased their share of global creative services exports from 10% in 2010 to 20% in 2022.

For Africa, UNCTAD estimated the continent’s share of the global creative economy at about 1.5% in 2022, up from 1% in 2018, with exports of $2.4 billion (about KES 310.3 billion) in creative goods and $4 billion (about KES 517.2 billion) in creative services in 2022.

ÀLKÉ argued that institutional investment could materially raise Africa’s contribution to the sector. It cited Boston Consulting Group (BCG) projections that, “with the right structural investment,” Africa’s creative economy could generate between $150 billion and $160 billion annually by 2030—about KES 19.4 trillion to KES 20.7 trillion (US$150–$160 billion).

“Africa has always been a source of cultural innovation, but too often the systems that turn that innovation into lasting economic value are built elsewhere,” said Lulu Shabell, Founder of ÀLKÉ. “ÀLKÉ exists to help change that by building institutions that protect authorship, support enterprise, and create durable economic benefit from African cultural intelligence.”

In the statement, ÀLKÉ described itself as “more than a brand or event platform,” and said its work will include preservation of indigenous design knowledge, support for African creative enterprises, and development of “permanent structures” aimed at keeping value generated by African cultural expression within African communities.

The organisation also linked its approach to Kenya’s legal and policy environment. It pointed to constitutional provisions that recognise culture as foundational to the nation, call for promotion of IP rights, and require legislation to ensure communities receive compensation or royalties for the use of their cultures and cultural heritage. Regionally, it cited the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Swakopmund Protocol, which provides protection for traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore against misappropriation, misuse and unlawful exploitation.

For Kenya’s creative and cultural businesses—spanning film, music, fashion, craft, design and digital content—the focus on IP and licensing frameworks is likely to resonate as firms and creators seek to monetise content across borders while protecting ownership. In recent years, policymakers and industry groups in East Africa have increasingly emphasised enforcement, rights management and royalty collection as key barriers to scaling creative enterprises and attracting capital.

ÀLKÉ said it will continue developing several pillars of its model, including an educational framework, a venture studio approach, a craft preservation strategy and an endowment structure. The institution said these elements will be advanced “through a series of forthcoming announcements.”

ÀLKÉ, a pan-African cultural institution founded by Lulu Shabell, has outlined what it described as a long-term institutional framework to protect African cultural intelligence, strengthen intellectual property (IP) ownership and build infrastructure to scale the continent’s creative economy.

The announcement, dated 17 June 2026 and issued from Nairobi and Cape Town, comes as global creative trade continues to expand. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data cited in the statement shows creative services exports reached $1.4 trillion (about KES 181.3 trillion) in 2022, while creative goods exports totalled $713 billion (about KES 92.0 trillion). Developing countries increased their share of global creative services exports from 10% in 2010 to 20% in 2022, according to UNCTAD.

ÀLKÉ pointed to Africa’s relatively small position in this market. It cited estimates that Africa’s share of the global creative economy stood at about 1.5% in 2022, up from 1% in 2018, and that the continent exported $2.4 billion (about KES 309.9 billion) in creative goods and $4 billion (about KES 516.5 billion) in creative services in 2022.

ÀLKÉ said its model is intended to narrow that gap by “creating mechanisms that support ownership, licensing, enterprise development, and long-term capital formation.” It also referenced BCG projections cited in an original essay, stating that with structural investment Africa’s creative economy could generate between $150 billion and $160 billion annually by 2030 (about KES 19.4 trillion to KES 20.7 trillion per year).

“Africa has always been a source of cultural innovation, but too often the systems that turn that innovation into lasting economic value are built elsewhere,” said Lulu Shabell, Founder of ÀLKÉ. “ÀLKÉ exists to help change that by building institutions that protect authorship, support enterprise, and create durable economic benefit from African cultural intelligence.”

The institution described itself as an entity focused on preserving indigenous design knowledge, supporting African creative enterprises and establishing structures that allow value generated by African cultural expression to remain with African communities. Its stated areas of work include preserving and commercialising indigenous knowledge systems, supporting creative ventures with “scale-ready infrastructure,” and creating financial structures aimed at compounding value “across generations,” according to the statement.

The announcement also connected the framework to Kenya’s legal and policy environment. ÀLKÉ cited provisions in Kenya’s Constitution that recognise culture as a foundation of the nation, call for promotion of IP rights, and require legislation to ensure communities receive compensation or royalties for the use of their cultures and cultural heritage. It further referenced the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Swakopmund Protocol, which addresses protection of traditional knowledge and expressions of folklore against misappropriation, misuse and unlawful exploitation.

For Kenya’s business landscape, the focus on IP ownership and licensing speaks to a longstanding challenge in the creative sector: creators and communities often struggle to convert cultural production into bankable assets and predictable revenue streams. If institutions can standardise documentation, rights management and licensing pathways, stakeholders say it could improve investability for creative ventures, increase export readiness and support formalisation—areas that matter as Kenya positions itself as a regional hub for cultural production, design and digital content.

ÀLKÉ said it will continue developing what it termed its educational framework, venture studio model, craft preservation strategy and endowment structure, with additional announcements planned.