Culture Minister Hannatu Musawa Reveals 8-Point Plan For Nigeria’s Creative Industry

The Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has outlined an 8-Point plan for the development of Nigeria’s creative economy.

While speaking at the Art and Tech district in Abuja on Monday, Musawa shared that she has received a mandate from the presidency and the people to ensure the growth of the creative sector, and to this end, she had outlined “a comprehensive eight-point plan that will deliver our collective vision for this sector.”

The 8-Point plan, she said, will be a big factor in actualising her vision of transforming Nigeria into Africa’s creative, cultural and entertainment capital.

“Under the renewed hope agenda of the presidency, we will provide the tools needed to accelerate growth across all creative economy sectors.

“We will deliver job opportunities and foster foreign partnerships and local collaborations that proudly exhibit our rich and unique national identity on a local and global stage, and we will elevate our nation’s economic standing.

“We have multiple initiatives & projects planned such as creative hubs, a Nigeria cultural expo, a national entertainment centre, a national art gallery, innovative publishing partnerships and a gaming sandbox project. We are building a global standard film festival, a culinary academy led by a Michelin star chef and a fashion foundry.”

Musawa then said, “We will establish International Quality Assurance standards and monitoring mechanisms to improve the quality of outputs within the Nigerian arts, culture, and creative economy, thereby enhancing the value proposition of all our creative products and services. Finally, I will be relentless in my support to bring home our national heritage artifacts including the Benin bronzes.”

THE 8-POINT PLAN

The statement which was released by the office of the minister and signed by Maryam Ahman, outlined the 8-point plan. The plans to be implemented by Musawa are:

(1) Firstly, Nigeria Destination 2030 is a national initiative designed to grow the arts, culture and creative economy under one united vision. 

(2) Skills development will be prioritised through comprehensive training programs to ensure all professionals within the economy are well-prepared to excel in their respective fields.

(3) Fastrack the improvement, creation and implementation of policy frameworks that effectively stimulate increased revenue generation, job creation, and sustainable growth across the entire sector. A key part of that strategy is Intellectual Property Protection to safeguard the creations of artists and content creators, fostering innovation and creativity.

(4) Our Collective Success Requires Focused Strategy, Governance, and Collaboration. Our team is developing a comprehensive and effective strategy for the arts, culture, and creative economy.

(5) We need to achieve our goals faster, and that requires smart strategic partnerships.

As such, our fifth point sets out to facilitate the creation of Public-Private partnerships that will stimulate investment in the creative economy and expedite the development of critical infrastructure, technology, and innovation hubs.

(6) Our plan has clear growth targets. Among those targets is our ambition to elevate the Nigerian industries, comprising Art, Culture & Creative industries to rank among the top 20 globally in terms of GDP contribution, wealth creation, employment, and poverty reduction in line with the agenda 2050.

(7) To Create Enabling Business Environments, we will prioritise infrastructural development aided by Digital transformation. We will provide modern facilities, transportation networks, and technology infrastructure. We will prioritise the integration of arts, culture, and creative content onto digital platforms, harnessing technology to create new revenue streams

(8)  Cultural Heritage Preservation and sustainability are crucial to our agenda.  We must make every effort to safeguard Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage while fostering tourism and economic growth.

This involves implementing initiatives to preserve and celebrate our cultural heritage while ensuring its longevity for future generations.

Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi

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