Wakanow Group, one of Africa’s leading travel technology companies, has acquired NairaBod, a fast-growing Nigerian digital latform focused on event ticketing, cinema experiences and live entertainment. The deal marks a strategic milestone as Wakanow shifts from purely booking travel-booking services into the broader “experience economy” of entertainment and lifestyle.
The acquisition reinforces Wakanow’s Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Adedeji stated, “we see tremendous opportunity in the intersection of travel and entertainment. This acquisition allows us to offer deeper, richer experiences not just where people travel, but how they live, how they enjoy, how they engage with culture”.
Why The Move Into Entertainment Makes Sense
Africa’s digital economy increasingly blends travel, entertainment, payments and services into one continuum. Wakanow noticed that while many customers use its platform for travel, they also seek one-stop experiences such as flights, accommodation, event tickets, local culture and lifestyle. With NairaBox already strong in event and cinema ticketing via its app and online platform, Wakanow gained not just a company, but a built-in audience and digital system for live experiences.
NairaBox brings credibility in Nigeria’s entertainment landscape with their trusted partnerships with cinemas, promoters, events and a user-base accustomed to digital ticketing. Integrating this into Wakanow’s infrastucture enables trave-plus-culture packages and upselling possibilities such as flight + accommodation + event bundle making Wakanow more than just a travel agency. According to market analysis, Africa’s travel and entertainment market could grow from roughly US$15 billion in 2025 to about US$38 billion by 2028, offering a large runway for this combined model.
How The Integration Will Work
Under the new structure, Wakanow appointed Tobi Andero as Head of Business for NairaBox. Andero joins from experiential marketing and will lead the platform’s growth under Wakanow umbrella.
Meanwhile, NairaBox co-founder Ugochukwu Jay Chikezie affirmed the acquisition opens a new chapter: “Joining forces with Wakanow marks an exciting new chapter for NairaBox and for entertainment in Nigeria… This acquisition allows us to scale that vision even further by integrating travel and entertainment into one seamless ecosystem.”
Wakanow said it will preserve NairaBox’s digital-first culture and innovation ethos, even as it leverages its own travel-technology, customer base and infrastructure. The integration aims to enable users to plan full experiences, from booking travel to reserving event tickets within one interface.
Potential Impact and Challenges Ahead
For customers, the acquisition promises convenience and richer offerings; instead of booking travel and separately hunting for local events, they could use Wakanow’s evolving platform for both. This strengthens engagement, builds loyalty, and unlocks cross-sell opportunities (for example, a user buying flight + hotel and getting suggestions + tickets for concerts or cinema at the destination).
For Wakanow, diversifying into entertainment means access to new revenue streams beyond travel. It also positions the company to ride a trend where consumer demand emphasises experiences, not just mobility. However, the integration brings challenges: aligning cultures between travel and live-events businesses, ensuring ticketing infrastructure scales reliably, handling supply-side relationships with venues/promoters, and managing regulatory or logistical issues in different markets.
Furthermore, consumer expectations in entertainment differ from travel. Real-time updates, seat-selection, pricing transparency, event cancellation policies, local permissions all add complexity. Wakanow must deliver flawlessly or risk damaging its brand.
Conclusion: Travel Meets Lifestyle
Wakanow’s acquisition of NairaBox signals a shift in how African tech companies think about growth: not just adding services, but re-imagining the consumer journey from travel into living, culture and entertainment. For Wakanow, the deal marks a step toward becoming a full-spectrum lifestyle platform one where booking a flight might only be the beginning of a broader digital-experience narrative. How well Wakanow assimilates NairaBox and realises the synergies will determine whether this move transforms its future or simply ups its service catalogue.
