Afreximbank targets Africa’s food economy with chef competition

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is deepening its push into Africa’s creative economy by leveraging gastronomy as a tool for enterprise development, job creation and tourism growth, launching the 2026 edition of its CANEX WKND Junior Chef Competition for young Nigerian culinary talents.

Through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, the bank has opened applications for the competition, which seeks to identify and nurture promising chefs aged between 16 and 21. The finalists will showcase their skills at CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled to hold in Lagos from November 5 to 8.

Applications opened on June 5 and will close on June 26 through the official CANEX platform.

The initiative forms part of Afreximbank’s broader strategy to position gastronomy as a key pillar of Africa’s creative economy while creating pathways for young talents to transform culinary skills into viable businesses.

Now in its second edition, the competition builds on its debut held during the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) in Algiers, Algeria, where Fatma Zohra Bendjelida emerged as the inaugural winner. This year’s edition shifts the spotlight to Nigeria’s emerging culinary talents.

Eight finalists will earn a place on the live stage at CANEX WKND in Lagos, where they will be challenged to reinterpret African culinary heritage through innovative signature dishes that celebrate the continent’s flavours, traditions and cultural stories.

The competition will unfold through several stages, beginning with the shortlisting of applicants before a semi-final round of live cooking sessions judged by an independent panel of culinary experts drawn from Africa and the Caribbean.

Contestants will be assessed on creativity and innovation, technical ability, plating and presentation, effective use of local ingredients, and their capacity to communicate cultural narratives through food.

Speaking on the launch, Temwa Gondwe, director of Intra-African Trade and Export Development (Creatives and Diaspora) at Afreximbank, said the initiative reflects the bank’s commitment to investing in sectors capable of shaping Africa’s future economic growth.

“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. 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,” Gondwe said.

According to Afreximbank, the competition’s vision aligns with CANEX’s broader mission to elevate food as both a cultural asset and an economic opportunity, while nurturing talent across the continent’s growing creative industries.

Selected participants will receive exposure, mentorship and networking opportunities with leading chefs and industry stakeholders, helping them build connections that could translate into future business opportunities.

The top three winners will receive cash prizes, trophies and certificates.

The competition is open to aspiring chefs, culinary students and self-taught food creatives aged 16 to 21 who live or work anywhere in Nigeria and are willing to travel to Lagos for the event.

Afreximbank said the initiative underscores its belief that Africa’s food industry can serve as a powerful engine for entrepreneurship, cultural promotion and economic development, while helping to unlock new markets for African cuisine across the continent and beyond.