Bold Strokes: Hannatu Musawa’s Drive to Cultivate Nigeria’s Creative Renaissance
Modibbo Az Zubair
In the pursuit of prosperity, ‘fortune favours the brave.’ This adage stands as the guiding principle for Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa’s audacious and transformative vision for Nigeria’s creative economy. Charged with the ambition to elevate the sector’s GDP from $5 billion to $100 billion by 2030, and to create two million jobs, Minister Musawa faces this formidable challenge head-on, bolstered by strategic plans grounded in action and innovation.
To confront the intricacies of Nigeria’s burgeoning creative economy, Minister Musawa enlisted the expertise of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a leader in strategic advisory with a rich history of steering economies towards unprecedented growth. BCG’s track record in successfully revamping creative and other sectors worldwide lends credence to the feasibility of Nigeria’s ambitious goals. Their comprehensive evaluation of the sector, benchmarked against international standards, lays the groundwork for FMACCE’s 14 actionable initiatives, each underpinned by detailed implementation plans.
The creative economy’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP has surged from 1.3% when Minister Musawa took office to an impressive 2% by the end of Q2 2024. This growth, equivalent to approximately N420 billion, not only exceeds the Federal Government’s target of 1.8% for the entire year but also reflects a remarkable increase of over 50% in nominal terms, showcasing effective policy execution.
Furthermore, the rise is reinforced by the registration of around 23,000 new start-ups in the Cultural and Creative Economy between January and June 2024, as reported by the Corporate Affairs Commission. Through the implementation of 14 strategic initiatives focused on technology, funding, infrastructure, and the promotion of international culture, the FMACCE is cultivating an environment ripe for innovation and sustainable growth.
South Korea is one of the Benchmarks in FMACCEs BCG study; its Korean Wave, or “Hallyu,” refers to the rise in popularity of South Korean culture from relative obscurity into a global phenomenon. The success of the Korean Wave can be attributed to a combination of well thought through government initiatives, strategic marketing within the creative economy, and sound policy development. All these elements are incorporated into Minister Musawa’s roadmap along with well-defined implementation plans that are in progress.
In parallel with its global strategic advisory, FMACCE is forging cohesive engagement and governance frameworks that foster collaboration between local stakeholders, creating synergy across agencies, academia, the private sector, and creatives. Through 27 separate stakeholder engagement events and strategic workshops, the Ministry has ensured that its policies and programs resonate with the creative community’s needs, fostering an environment conducive to growth.
Furthermore, the Ministry’s commitment to skills acquisition highlights a forward-thinking approach to workforce development. Through partnerships with esteemed educational institutions, FMACCE has established cultural and creative learning platforms, successfully training about 7,500 individuals at the end of Q2 2024, with a target of 25,000 by year’s end. The Creative Leap Accelerator Programme (CLAP) exemplifies this commitment, aggregating resources and facilitating democratized access to training, funding, and networking within the creative sector. CLAP, along with FMACCE’s data collection strategy, enriches the Ministry’s data-driven decision-making capacity, enabling agile responses to domestic and international market trends.
The capacity building and job creation ambitions of the Honourable Minister are supported by an effective partnership with BigWin philanthropy that mimics successful models that have created jobs across Africa, including 500,000 in Rwanda, a country with a much smaller population than Nigeria. Big Win has developed a unique approach to job creation which aims to deliver a “demographic dividend” to countries like Nigeria that have an overwhelming youthful population. This collaboration is developing a tailor-made strategy that will aim to deliver two million jobs by leveraging regulatory frameworks, strategic investments, and incentives while aligning with Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Minister Musawa’s collaborative approach, notably with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), underscores a strategic alliance to implement policies that stimulate growth. This initiative has yielded a Memorandum of Understanding focusing on critical policy areas including National Intellectual Property Rights and The Cultural and Creative Economy, there is also a separate Fiscal & Tax Incentives policy tailored for the creative economy. These frameworks are poised to unleash economic potential, enabling creatives to monetize their innovations and secure financing against intellectual property (IP) assets.
By partnering with the NESG, FMACCE aligns its goals with the private sector, crafting policies to enhance investment appeal and foster sustainable growth. This strategy, along with an inter-ministerial collaboration to enforce IP Protection, is a testament to the Ministry’s ability to leverage cross-sector synergies, driving the creative ecosystem forward through informed, macro-level decision-making.
In the hitherto largely ignored Heritage sphere, there is a long list of wins: securing the inscription of the Sango Festival on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage; accrediting Asaba Film City as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network; quadripartite agreement with notable institutions to preserve and celebrate the Sukur UNESCO World Heritage Site; and securing UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognition for ‘Midwifery: Knowledge, Skills & Practices’. The latter underscores the Ministry’s dedication to preserving traditional healthcare practices and highlights the vital role of midwifery in enhancing community health and well-being.
At a recent meeting in Abuja, Abdourahamane Diallo, UNESCO’s Country Representative to Nigeria, confirmed UNESCO’s support for FMACCE highlighting their assistance toward strengthening the Ministry’s policy frameworks and implementing international cultural conventions. These achievements emphasize the Ministry’s strategic focus on amplifying Nigeria’s creative voice on the global stage, fostering a thriving environment for cultural expression and economic growth.
Minister Musawa has also emphasized the importance of infrastructure as highlighted by the renovation of the National Theatre. During a stakeholders’ engagement in Lagos, the Minister said “This renovation, facilitated through collaboration between the Ministry and the Bankers’ Committee, symbolizes a “gift to the nation” and aims to preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage while boosting economic growth”. Other infra developments include the creation of a public sector driven vehicle that will focus on infrastructure development, refurbishment of multiple museums in partnership with NCMM, and the NCAC partnership with Mefa to build multiple smaller capacity venues across the country.
On Global Soft power, the Minister launched “Destination 2030” at the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos. Through Destination 2030, FMACCE has promoted and positively repositioned the country’s brand with active participation in global cultural events including the Grammys, Cannes Film Festival, Paris Fashion Show, and the Venice Biennale, reflecting solid support for Nigeria’s artistic expression and its presentation to a worldwide audience. FMACCE has also partnered with the Louvre Abu Dhabi on the “Kings & Queens” of Africa exhibition, which will open in Jan 2025.
Consequently, the D2030 initiative has catapulted Brand Nigeria forward, leading to the country rising 14 places in the 2024 Global Soft Power Index while gaining significant ground in other cultural influence rankings. D2030 is designed to provide global recognition, foster networking opportunities, and enhance access to capacity-building initiatives. By doing so, FMACCE aims to leverage cultural assets for social, economic, and environmental benefits in alignment with global cultural and diplomatic goals.
It is public domain information that the budget of the FMACCE is a fraction of what is required to deliver FGN stipulated growth targets, yet Musawa powers on with her programmes while seeking innovative solutions, the level of economic expansion recorded in year one speaks volumes to this point! The Minister recently held a widely attended event at the UN House in Abuja to promote its programs and broaden opportunities, she stressed that the Creative economy is actively opening its doors to international partnerships, spearheaded by engagements with UN agencies, foreign diplomats, and ambassadors.
In a similar event last week in Lagos, the Minister pitched the $100 billion Creative Economy Growth Plan to Corporate Nigeria including local and international investors. In addition, the Ministry’s plans for revenue generation through commercialization of National IP and private IP monetisation regimes highlight its forward-thinking approach while the establishment of a Cultural IP asset bank and the Creative Economy Development Fund will ensure creatives can access essential financing channels, turning cultural assets into sustainable revenue streams.
Significantly, Musawa has forged a partnership with AFREXIM, one of Africa’s largest financial institutions. FMACCE will be holding a joint event with the bank on the side lines of the 79th session of UNGA to mutually promote investment in the African Creative Economy. In addition, FMACCE will partner with multiple Nigerian entrepreneurs to provide them with access to a global market through AFREXIMs Canex WEND, the continents largest Creative gathering. The Minister has been appointed to the board of AFREXIMs’ Creative Africa Advisory Group in recognition of these efforts.
Of course, there are challenges and plenty of naysayers, dissent is a healthy pillar of democracy. Minister Musawa has articulated a clear vision and demonstrated a willingness to engage in constructive discourse with well-intentioned stakeholders, meaningful exchange can only enrich the final result. However, critics must engage transparently and not in the shadows, otherwise they are but mere echoes of discontent to be dismissed without much thought as they lack the credibility that comes from open and honest dialogue. Additionally, commentators who focus on ad hominem attacks and refuse to engage with the substance of the Honourable Ministers Nation building ambitions, discredit themselves and betray the best interests of Nigerians who are desperate to see the country succeed.
Minister Musawa is implementing a serious strategy with the potential to offer an entire generation of Nigerians new opportunities through a genuinely diversified economy that benefits all. Her pursuit of transformative change is more than just ambitious; it is achievable through a meticulously crafted blend of global benchmarking, strategic partnerships, data-driven policies, innovative frameworks and effective implementation. Her inspired leadership promises to etch a new chapter, where Nigeria’s youthful population is empowered and creativity fuels economic prosperity. The Minister’s commitment remains steadfast and resolute, her unwavering commitment shines: to lead Nigeria boldly into a creative and prosperous future.
Zubair is Special Assistant to the President & SA to the Honourable Minister FMACCE on Economic Expansion & Job Creation
