Hannatu Musawa Outlines Plan to Boost Nigeria’s Creative Economy

Mary Nnah

Nigeria’s newly appointed Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa has outlined a plan to boost growth in Nigeria’s creative economy by transforming Nigeria into Africa’s creative, cultural and entertainment capital.  

Speaking during a press briefing she said her goal is to deliver a national strategy that supports President Tinubus’  plan to double the national economy to $1tn within eight years.

‘She said, “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 on par with global cultural capitals.” 

Dubbed Destination 2030, 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.

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.

Nigerian artists such as Burnaboy, Asake and Wizkid, curators like Tokini Peterside and Nike Okundaye, as well as writers like Teju Cole and Helon Habila, plus artisans, and other contributors to the sector, are all already exporting our vibrant culture to the world. This culture, and the country’s heritage, as preserved in various iconic museums such as the Badagry Slave Museum and Gidan Makama Museums as well as recent developments like the JK Randle Centre and Yemisi Shyllon Museum, all offer a rich narrative for the global PR and marketing campaigns that a new media office will lead.

Musawa said, “Nigeria sits at an inflexion 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. For example, in Visual Arts, we of course have Enwonwu and the masters of the Oshogbo School who have been global legends for decades, but today we also have Rom Isichei, William Chechet and many others that are carving out a place for themselves in the Art world.

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.

The work being done on the development of MOWAA and the partnerships with various blue chip private sector platforms including renowned architects, Adjaye Associates, provides an excellent example of collaboration. The Benin Bronzes continue to fascinate the world and have arguably become part of global artistic heritage, the issue of how best to ensure their continued mass appreciation while recognising their origins will be one of the top issues on our agenda.  

“Nigeria has a rich, diverse documented heritage that dates back two millennia beginning with the Nok culture,  from the latter parts of the middles ages to Pre Colonial times, there have been several ancient Kingdoms including Oyo, Katsina, Jukun & Kano, and more recently others like Bonny and Opobo. 

“When this history is juxtaposed with the events that are happening today, what we see is a continuous cultural journey that has evolved and adapted, continuously providing a source of pride for indigenes and compelling interest for a global audience in a world that continues to grow increasingly smaller. What we have inherited would be a treasure trove for many countries around the world that seek to promote their brand, while we have not done enough in this regard. 

“We aim to turn things around and ensure that this is indeed the beginning of a sustainable long-term ‘revival’, I am extremely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead”, Musawa noted.