Hannatu Musa Musawa, newly appointed Special Adviser on Culture and Entertainment has outlined plans to boost the growth of Nigeria’s creative economy and transform Nigeria into Africa’s creative, cultural and entertainment capital.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja recently, according to a statement, she said that the goal is to deliver a national strategy that supports President Tinubus’ plan to double the national economy to $1tn within eight years.
“As demonstrated by the bold decisions made thus far by the President, this administration has a transformative agenda that has the Nigerian people at its core. The developments planned in the creative space will reflect this by ushering in a new era where the Government engages with, and supports the extensive talent in the country in building a vibrant sector at par with global cultural capitals”.
Dubbed Destination 2030, she said in the statement that the initiative aims to unify all the sectors in the space under a single vision: To position Nigeria as Africa’s creative, cultural and entertainment capital. The reach will be fully inclusive, from literature, music and film to design, visual Arts & heritage, everything will be in focus and appropriately deployed in promoting Nigeria’s cultural identity on a global scale.
Read also: SeamlessHR, Gates Foundation combine roles to enhance welfare of blue-collar workers
According to Musawa, a robust creative and cultural economy can be a significant catalyst for growth and presents an opportunity for Nigeria to leapfrog its current development trajectory. By implementing the plan, the sector has the potential to become a substantial contributor to the country’s economic growth, contributing meaningfully to the national GDP and creating much-needed jobs for talented youth in the sector. The creative economy, culture & tourism contribute more to global GDP than Oil & Gas production, this is instructive and provides an inspiring benchmark, she said in the statement.
Musawa further said that “Nigeria sits at a point where our global cultural impact is at an all-time high, combined with a new progressive administration, the time is now to support the talent and institutions that power the cultural, entertainment and creative economy”.
Afrobeats & Nollywood are now firmly part of global pop culture and we have “greats” and contemporary talent in almost every part of the space.
Through public-private partnerships and funding initiatives, the focus will be on implementing strategies, educational opportunities and spaces that remove existing barriers to growth for individuals and industry.
