As The African Comics and Cinematic Empire (TheACE) marks two years of documenting Africa’s comic book and animation industry, it has received its first formal state government endorsement. The Oyo State Ministry of Culture and Tourism has thrown its support behind the Nigerian Comic Book Industry Report, published by Bookause Nigeria in partnership with TheACE.
The endorsement, confirmed in a letter dated 22nd July 2026 from the Honourable Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, followed a presentation of the Report to the Ministry’s leadership on 20th July 2026. Jummah was accompanied by Erivic Adedayo, Convener of Comic Con Ibadan, who briefed the Ministry on Afroblot, the original African art style he created. The letter notes that the Ministry views comics as more than entertainment for children, describing them as capable of “offering a deliberate, homegrown alternative to the largely foreign-authored comics that currently dominate the market” and as a tool for “reconnecting Oyo State’s youth with their own history, heroes, and cultural heritage.”
The Ministry’s backing aligns with the Education pillar of Oyo State’s Omituntun 2.0 development agenda, and endorses TheACE’s efforts to bring the Report and the wider culture of African comics and animation into schools, libraries, galleries, and cultural institutions across the State.
The Report, formally launched at Comic Con Ibadan 2026 at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, examines Nigeria’s comic book ecosystem through creator insights, market analysis, and sector recommendations spanning funding access, intellectual property development, and the global exportation of Nigerian stories through visual media.
Adedayo’s Afroblot, first introduced through his 2024 comic book Jogunomi, draws on a four-tone palette of red, black, off-white, and grey, inspired partly by limited colour manga printing and early American comic art, reworked into a style its creator has described as a deliberate departure from Western comic conventions. The style was celebrated in a dedicated exhibition, Afroblot: The Experience, at Krates Lagos in 2025, and has continued to gain adoption among comic and digital artists beyond Nigeria.
Founder and Editor of TheACE, Mujeeb Jummah, says the timing could not be more fitting. “We started TheACE because those telling the stories of our heroes and history were not being well documented like other sub-sectors of the larger creative economy,” he said. “Two years later, having a State government recognise that work as culturally important is exactly the kind of validation this industry has been waiting for.”
Adedayo shares that sentiment. “Afroblot is proof that African visual storytelling can set the pace globally, not just follow it,” he said. “Having the State’s backing behind this work makes the case even stronger.”
The endorsement lands as TheACE marks its second anniversary. Founded in July 2024, the platform has since reached over 150,000 accounts, recorded more than 5,000 monthly engagements, spotlighted over 100 creators and projects combined, and built a digital presence that reaches 20 African countries.
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About Bookause
Bookause is a creative industry company focused on supporting, distributing, and promoting books, comics, and “geek” culture content, especially works by African creators, through events, marketplaces, and exhibition platforms. It has operational ties both in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and its Nigerian arm, Bookause Nigeria, publishes the Nigerian Comic Book Industry Report in partnership with TheACE. Bookause plays a role in growing local creative markets and community engagement around comics and literature.
About TheACE
The African Comics and Cinematic Empire (TheACE) is a digital media and creative intelligence platform spotlighting the African comic book and animation space through editorial content, interviews, industry reports, and strategic documentation.
Access The Bookause Report:
https://thebookausereport.framer.website/
