LAGOS — The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is intensifying its support for Africa’s creative economy, spotlighting gastronomy as a powerful engine for job creation, tourism, and enterprise development. Through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) program, the bank has officially launched the 2026 edition of the CANEX WKND Junior Chef Competition, targeting young culinary talents across Nigeria.
The competition is designed to identify and nurture aspiring chefs between the ages of 16 and 21, offering them a platform to transform their culinary passions into viable commercial enterprises. Applications for the initiative opened on June 5 and will run until June 26 through the official CANEX platform.
Finalists will take to the live stage at the CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled to be held in Lagos from November 5 to November 8.
Now in its second year, the competition shifts its focus to Nigeria’s vibrant and emerging culinary scene. It builds on the success of the inaugural edition held during the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Algiers, Algeria, where Fatma Zohra Bendjelida took home the top prize.
This year, eight finalists will be selected to compete live in Lagos. Contestants will be challenged to reinterpret African culinary heritage by crafting innovative signature dishes that celebrate the continent’s unique flavors, local ingredients, and deep cultural stories.
The evaluation process will feature live cooking sessions judged by an independent panel of culinary experts from Africa and the Caribbean. Participants will be scored on technical ability, creativity, plating, effective use of local ingredients, and their ability to communicate compelling cultural narratives through their food.
Temwa Gondwe, Director of Intra-African Trade and Export Development (Creatives and Diaspora) at Afreximbank, emphasized the strategic importance of the initiative.
“The CANEX Junior Chef Competition reflects Afreximbank’s commitment to Africa’s creative economy, by investing in the talent and enterprises that will define its future,” Gondwe stated. “Africa’s gastronomy is among the world’s richest, yet most underexplored assets. It is a living expression of our heritage, ingredients and stories, and a commercial sector with the power to drive tourism, create jobs, strengthen local food supply chains and open new markets for African cuisine. Through CANEX, we are turning culinary creativity into enterprise.”
Beyond the competition itself, selected participants will gain invaluable exposure, receiving direct mentorship and networking opportunities with leading industry stakeholders and master chefs. The top three contestants will be awarded cash prizes, trophies, and certificates.
The competition is open to culinary students, self-taught food creatives, and aspiring chefs aged 16 to 21 who currently live or work in Nigeria and are available to travel to Lagos for the event.
By elevating food from a cultural staple to a high-value economic opportunity, Afreximbank hopes to unlock new markets for African cuisine, driving broader economic development across the continent and beyond.
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