On October 10, Lagos will host PodFest Naija, billed as the country’s first podcast summit. The venue is prime, the branding is polished, and the sponsors are heavyweight names. Newspapers are covering it. Corporate leaders and culture figures are lined up as speakers. By all appearances, podcasting has finally been given a national stage.
That matters. It signals that podcasts are no longer fringe in Nigeria. They’re seen as worthy of investment, of policy conversations, of mainstream attention. That’s a win.
But one question lingers: where are the podcasters? The independent creators, the small collectives, the fledgling networks, those who’ve been building this space with little support. From the outside, PodFest Naija looks more like a marketing and branding showcase than a forum where makers can speak honestly about the work, the grind, and the opportunities.
This isn’t about dismissing the effort. Organising a festival of this scale is no small feat. It should be celebrated. But if the event is a “festival of stories,” then it should centre those who tell them week after week, often at personal cost. Without their voices, the story of Nigerian podcasting risks being rewritten as something that began only when brands and media houses took notice.
The fix is simple: creators need to be visible, not as side attractions but as key participants. Dedicated panels, live showcases, and even a creator track would give balance. And podcasters themselves must also be proactive, show up, lobby for space, and collaborate to present their value as a united front.
PodFest Naija is a milestone. Whether it becomes a turning point depends on whether the people who built the foundations of Nigerian podcasting are allowed to stand on the stage, not just applaud from the crowd.
Written by Tony Doe
Tony Doe is the voice behind Into The Podverse, a newsletter and podcast that explores podcasting with an African lens. He has shared insights on panels across the industry and held conversations with leading voices shaping the future of audio.
