The Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA) held its third graduation ceremony on Friday, April 11, 2025, at the Terra Kulture Arena in Victoria Island, Lagos, celebrating the artistic and professional growth of its students under the theme “Celebrating Creative Transformations.”
Founded by theatre pioneer Bolanle Austen-Peters in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, TAFTA was launched as a social transformation initiative to bridge the skills gap and address gender imbalance in Nigeria’s booming creative industry.
The project is particularly focused on upskilling youth in technical disciplines such as stage lighting, sound design, and animation—areas that have traditionally seen low female representation.
Speaking at the colourful event, Austen-Peters described TAFTA as “a social transformation project committed to upskilling young creatives in vital technical fields and fostering gender equality.” She celebrated the achievements of the students and called on corporations to support the initiative.
“Today’s graduation celebrates the remarkable journey of our students,” she said. “We have trained over 30,000 young people, and more than 19,000 of them have gone on to secure jobs, gigs, or opportunities in the creative industry. We are particularly proud of the growing number of women emerging as skilled professionals in animation, stage lighting, and sound design.”
The ceremony featured a procession, live performances, certificate presentations, and showcases of short films, theatre pieces, and social media content created by the graduating cohort. Ms. Rosy Fynn, the Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, delivered a keynote address, praising TAFTA’s role in driving youth employment and creative innovation.
One of the graduates, Adepegba Emmanuel, shared how TAFTA changed her career trajectory: “TAFTA truly transformed my understanding of the creative industry and my writing career. The programme equipped me with practical skills, boosted my confidence, and connected me with a valuable network, directly leading to my first content writing role.”
With its innovative training model and growing community of alumni, TAFTA continues to be a driving force in shaping the future of Nigeria’s creative economy—one graduate at a time.
