African cultural consultants

African creativity.
Commercial
opportunity.

We connect African artists and IP owners with businesses ready to bring their work to the world — through licensing, product development and retail partnerships.

Grow my creative business Find art for my products
tableware concept with colourful geometric patterns across plates, bowls, a cup and a jug
Ndebele-inspired tablewareA place at every table.Illustrative product application
Proudly African. Designed for the world.Representation · Product development · Licensing

Two ambitions. One connection.

You create the value.
We help it go further.

Whether you own the creativity or want to bring it to market, ALH connects the right people and manages the details.

01 / FOR ARTISTS & IP OWNERS

Your work deserves a life beyond the original.

Turn your art, designs or cultural brand into licensing opportunities. We represent your work, pitch commercial partners and manage the business side, so you can keep creating.

  • Active pitching to retailers, manufacturers and brands
  • Product and brand development with commercial focus
  • Contract management, IP protection and royalty reporting

For visual artists, illustrators, surface pattern designers, cultural brands, celebrity estates and other IP owners.

Explore representation
02 / FOR RETAILERS & MANUFACTURERS

Give your next product an African point of view.

Find distinctive African art and design for your range. We connect your product brief with creative talent and support the licensing and development process.

  • African creative content matched to your product brief
  • Support translating artwork into consumer products
  • One agency to coordinate licensing terms and artist communication

For retailers, manufacturers, distributors and consumer brands seeking distinctive African content and design.

Discuss your product brief

Why Africa Licensing House

Creative understanding.
Commercial know-how.

Great partnerships need both. We bring cultural insight and licensing experience together to help African creativity reach the right markets.

01

African stories,
understood.

We work with the people behind the creativity. Cultural positioning and brand development help carry their identity into products with purpose.

02

From creative idea
to retail opportunity.

Representation, product development, partner pitching and licensing administration work together under one agency.

03

A partner invested
in your growth.

Our artist representation model shares licensing revenue equally: 50% to the artist and 50% to ALH. Our success is tied to yours.

26+

Years of licensing and consumer products experience
Jacques De Beer · Co-Founder & Licensing Director

Meet the founders
Ndebele-inspired woven cushion in bright pink, turquoise, yellow and orange with bold geometric patterns
Distinctive design. Everyday possibility.Ndebele-inspired cushion · Product concept

One creative work. More possibilities.

Art that lives
beyond the canvas.

Licensing gives a business permission to use creative work on agreed products in exchange for payment. It creates a way for artists to earn beyond the sale of an original, and for businesses to develop distinctive ranges.

Homeware & beddingApparel & accessoriesStationery & giftsPackagingToys & kitchenwarePromotional products

Images are product concepts illustrating licensing possibilities. Each opportunity depends on the artwork, partner and agreed rights.

Request an artwork selection

How we work

From a conversation
to a commercial partnership.

We bring structure to the journey, with support at each stage.

  1. 01

    Find the fit

    Share your portfolio or product brief. We explore the creative and commercial opportunity.

  2. 02

    Shape the opportunity

    We position the work, explore product applications and connect potential partners.

  3. 03

    Agree the terms

    We negotiate the licensing agreement, define permitted use and manage the contract.

  4. 04

    Develop & grow

    We support product development, coordinate partners and track and report royalties.

African Home of Art logoAUTHENTIC AFRICAN DESIGN

Our flagship art licensing label

African Home of Art™

A shared home for distinctive African creativity. African Home of Art brings ALH’s represented artists into a growing collective designed for retail and consumer products.

Products licensed through our artist network may carry the AHA seal — connecting the creator’s story with a recognisable African design identity.

Explore African Home of Art

The people behind the partnerships

Built on creativity.
Backed by experience.

Complementary expertise in African storytelling, consumer products and the business of licensing.

TM

Thabo Boaz Motsabi

Founder & Managing Director

Storyteller & Creative Entrepreneur

Co-Founder of Toys with RootsFilm Producer · Tellavision

Storytelling • African IP • Product Development • Retail

Thabo connects stories with art and products that people identify with. A film producer and creative entrepreneur behind Tellavision, he brings over a decade of experience across media, consumer products and brand development.

He co-founded Toys with Roots with Mpumi Motsabi in 2015 to celebrate African children through play. The business supplied Rainbow Kids dolls to Shoprite and locally produced colouring and activity books to Shoprite and Checkers.

In 2023, under ALH’s management, Toys with Roots licensed its Lali & Maru brands for backpacks distributed through Checkers Hyper — taking locally created characters into a new product category.

That journey from story to product to retail shapes his leadership of ALH. Thabo combines cultural understanding, creative vision and practical commercial experience to help artists and IP owners turn their work into brands and licensing opportunities.

African stories. Meaningful products.
Commercial opportunity.

Connect with Thabo
JdB

Jacques De Beer

Co-Founder & Licensing Director

Licensing & Brand Development Specialist

26+ Years’ ExperienceAfrica → Global

Character • Fashion • Sport • Art • Consumer Products

With 26+ years of hands-on licensing experience, Jacques builds brands and commercial opportunities across character entertainment, fashion, sport, art, promotions and consumer products.

His career includes representing and developing global IP such as Sanrio/Hello Kitty, Jeep, PAW Patrol, SpongeBob, Garfield, WWE, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Hit Entertainment, eOne, Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, Marvel and DreamWorks, alongside African artists and locally created IP.

He combines deep licensing expertise with practical commercial experience in IP representation, licensee development, product creation, retail, promotions and brand extensions.

As co-founder of Africa Licensing House, creator of AHA – African Home of Art, and the entrepreneur behind Ubuntu Licensing & Marketing Africa, Jacques is focused on taking African IP and creativity global, bringing international licensing opportunities into Africa, and creating a positive social impact.

Global IP. African opportunity.
Commercial thinking.

Connect with Jacques

Let’s build what comes next

Your creativity.
Your next collection.
Our next conversation.

I’m an artist or IP owner

Tell us about your work and share a portfolio link.
thabo@africalicensing.co.za

Talk representation

I’m a retailer or manufacturer

Share your product category, market and timeline.
Jacques@africalicensing.co.za

Talk licensing
thabo@africalicensing.co.zaDownload our company profile ↓