Nigerian musician turned entrepreneur Oluwatosin Ajibade, widely known as Mr Eazi, is making a bold strategic move that could reshape how African creative businesses compete on the global stage. His entertainment and technology company, Choplife, has elished operations within the Itana Digital Special Economic Zone, positioning itself at the heart of what is described as Africa’s first digital special economic zone. The expansion signals a significant shift in how the company plans to scale its diverse portfolio of entertainment, media, gaming, technology and intellectual property ventures from Nigeria to international markets.
Choplife’s journey from music label to multifaceted entertainment conglomerate reflects the evolving ambitions of African creative entrepreneurs. Beginning in 2021 as a music business through Empawa Africa, the company has systematically expanded its reach across multiple entertainment verticals. Its portfolio now includes Dirty Rave, an events platform, gaming ventures where it has both acquired licensed intellectual property and developed proprietary brands, and One v One Africa, a sports platform. Mr Eazi describes the company’s output as spanning both digital technology and what he calls very important real life intellectual property, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for African entertainment content.
The decision to anchor Choplife within Itana was driven by practical business considerations rather than symbolic gestures. Mr Eazi explained that running a Pan African business from multiple jurisdictions creates substantial administrative and operational friction that can slow growth and drain resources. While African businesses have traditionally looked to offshore jurisdictions like Delaware or London when elishing global operations, Choplife sought a structure that would keep the company firmly rooted on the continent. Itana provided that solution, offering what Mr Eazi describes as a centralized, sovereign, digital first operational hub located directly on African soil.
The logic becomes clearer when considering where Choplife’s value is actually created. Mr Eazi estimates that between 80 and 99 percent of the company’s creative output originates on the African continent, even though the resulting products and intellectual property reach global aunces. Having a continental base that matches this production reality while facilitating international distribution represents a significant operational advantage. Itana’s digital first business environment promises simplified cross border operations, streamlined compliance processes, and access to a growing ecosystem of technology companies. Businesses can complete incorporation remotely, potentially within two weeks, while benefiting from free zone incentives and frameworks designed specifically for digital commerce.
Capital movement and regulatory fragmentation represent two of the most significant obstacles facing businesses that operate across multiple African markets. Mr Eazi pointed to the challenge of navigating different banking systems, foreign exce rules, tax structures, licensing regimes and corporate regulations in each jurisdiction where Choplife operates. For a digitally based business that must constantly move money across borders and maintain accounts in different countries, these frictions impose real costs. A centralized digital regulatory hub eliminates the need to repeatedly engage with different regulatory and corporate structures in each market, potentially unlocking significant efficiency gains and reducing the capital lock that has long plagued cross border African business.
As Choplife elishes itself within Itana, the move may signal a broader shift in how African creative and technology companies structure their operations. If successful, the model could demonstrate that continental businesses no longer need to choose between African roots and global competitiveness, offering instead a third way that combines both. The coming months will reveal whether Itana can deliver on its promise to reduce the friction that has historically constrained Pan African business ambitions, and whether other entertainment and technology companies follow Choplife’s lead in choosing continental digital infrastructure over traditional offshore alternatives.
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