FG Unveils Seven-year Plan to Become Africa’s Creative Capital
Gilbert Ekugbe
The Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has unveiled a seven strategic plan in an effort to make Nigeria the creative capital on the continent.
In a video message to the creative industries and other stakeholders at the Art and Tech district in Abuja, the minister said the seven year strategy, “Destination 2030” is a national initiative designed to grow the arts, culture and creative economy under one United vision.
Musawa added that the plan is a promise to deliver more jobs, more inbound visitors and more local opportunities that will enhance the development of all creative sectors in the country.
She added that to achieve the feat, the ministry has created a comprehensive eight-point plan that would deliver its collective vision for the creative sector.
Highlighting the plan, she said skills development would be prioritised through comprehensive training programmes to ensure all professionals within the economy are well-prepared to excel in their respective fields.
She noted that plans are also ongoing to 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,” she said.
She pointed out that the Ministry is also developing a comprehensive and effective strategy for the arts, culture, and creative economy, maintaining that within this strategy, it will clearly outline its objectives, targets, and actions for sectoral growth and development.
“Its implementation will be underpinned by a cohesive governance structure that will foster collaboration among government agencies, private sector entities, academia, and artists to drive the growth of the FMACC ecosystem. We will further support this collaborative structure by establishing a Creative Economy Advisory Council that will provide high-level strategic support to the Ministry. I look forward to working closely with Ministry, departments, agencies and all other stakeholders to deliver our vision,” she assured.
She also stated that the Ministry is set 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.
“In addition, it aims to leverage PPPs to catalyse private sector investment in FMACC, enhancing economic diversification and creating a favourable business environment,” she noted.
“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,” she averred.
Going forward, she said through innovative strategies, technological integration, and enhanced market access, the Ministry’s target is to increase the value of sectoral outputs by 50 per cent in line with the 2021 to 2025 national development plan.
To create an enabling business environment, the minister said the Ministry will prioritise infrastructural development aided by digital transformation.
