The Federal Government of Nigeria has revealed an ambitious plan to generate at least $100 billion annually and create over two million jobs from the country’s creative economy. This was announced by the Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, during a roundtable event for local and international investors in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday.
Musawa, while presenting her ministry’s eight-point plan and roadmap, highlighted the underutilization of Nigeria’s creative industry, which currently contributes only $5 billion to the nation’s economy. She noted that various sub-sectors within the industry are at different stages of development, limiting the full realization of its potential.
“Despite its huge potential, the creative industry contributed just 1.2% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2022, the lowest among benchmark countries like Morocco (2.7%), South Africa (3.0%), and Egypt (4.3%),” Musawa stated, citing statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Musawa also expressed concern about the sector’s low contribution to government revenue, with Nigeria earning only 1.0% compared to South Africa’s 12.5%. To reverse this trend, the minister outlined a comprehensive strategy centered on 14 pivotal initiatives designed to boost government revenue by $10 billion to $20 billion and propel the sector’s growth.
The initiatives are organized under four key pillars: technology, infrastructure and funding, international culture promotion, and intellectual property (IP) monetization.
Key Pillars and Initiatives:
- Technology – Musawa emphasized plans to provide Nigerian creatives with discounted digital tools, launch the Nigeria Content Distribution Initiative, and expand internet access to underserved regions. This will support the industry’s digital transformation and global reach.
- Infrastructure and Funding – The government will catalog existing infrastructure within the arts, culture, and creative economy, develop new facilities, and leverage public-private partnerships to fund these developments. The minister also mentioned plans to launch a creative accelerator program to provide capital and capacity building for creative businesses.
- International Culture Promotion – The Ministry aims to establish a culture promotion office, working with Nigerian embassies abroad to boost the international profile of Nigerian arts and culture. The government will also leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to expand exports of Nigerian creative output regionally and globally.
- Intellectual Property Monetization – The government plans to establish globally standardized collection management organizations for creative sectors and partner with the Nigerian Communications Commission to enhance copyright tracking, monitoring, and enforcement.
Musawa stated that the ministry is already working on several initiatives and collaborations to ensure the successful execution of its plans. She is optimistic that Nigeria’s creative economy could grow by 400% by 2027, helping the sector leapfrog into a major global player.
The Federal Government’s commitment to fostering the creative economy is seen as a critical move toward diversifying the economy and creating sustainable jobs in one of Nigeria’s most promising industries.