PodFest Naija returned for its second edition on Friday 25 September. The Guardian Nigeria reports more than 3,000 attendees and a winner for The Next Big Podcaster, a talent initiative run by the festival's organiser, The Muvmnt Studio.
PodFest Naija, a Lagos festival of podcasting and storytelling, held its second edition on 25 September. According to The Guardian Nigeria, it brought together "more than 3,000 attendees, 50+ storytellers, creators, podcasters, brands, policymakers, industry leaders and everyday Nigerians". The report does not say how attendance was counted.
The festival is curated by The Muvmnt Studio, the storytelling platform of AT3, The Muvmnt Agency, in partnership with Eventful Nigeria. The PodFest Naija website listed Harbour Point, Victoria Island, as the venue.
A winner for emerging podcasters
The clearest outcome for creators was The Next Big Podcaster. The Guardian Nigeria describes it as an initiative of The Muvmnt Studio "created to discover, develop and spotlight emerging voices with the potential to shape the future of podcasting in Nigeria". It reports that the initiative culminated in Clement Akintade "being announced live on stage as the winner".
The report does not say what the winner receives, how entrants were judged or how many people took part. Those are the questions other Nigerian podcasters would need answered before treating the scheme as a route into the industry.
Recordings and monetisation sessions
According to the report, the programme "featured live podcast recordings, monetisation masterclasses, creator conversations, practical learning sessions and platforms for emerging talent". Sessions ran across six themed stages: Life, Love, Culture, Money, Health and Brands. A new Citizen Stage gave space to the concerns of everyday Nigerians.
The report names no speakers or content for the monetisation masterclasses, so it does not show what advice creators were given.
The Deputy Governor's keynote
Lagos State Deputy Governor Femi Hamzat gave a keynote on the economic significance of Nigeria's creative sector. He described creators' recordings as exports. "When a young man in Surulere records a conversation in his bedroom and it is streamed in Houston, in London or in Nairobi by the weekend, that is not just content. That is export," he said, according to the report.
The report does not describe any new policy, funding or programme from the Lagos State Government.
What the report establishes
The Guardian Nigeria report quotes the organisers and the Deputy Governor and gives no independent attendance figures. The report says the 2026 edition was supported by brands and organisations but does not name them. Airtime previewed this edition in August.