The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Jibrin Baba Ndace, has emphasized the vital role of the creative industry in driving national development.
He noted that the sector serves not only as a platform for cultural expression but also as a powerful catalyst for economic growth, youth empowerment, and national rebranding.
Mr. Ndace made this known while serving as the Special Guest of Honour at the flagship launch of “Beyond the Slate” in Lagos on Friday. The event, themed “Beyond Entertainment: The Economic Power of Creativity,” brought together key stakeholders committed to elevating Nigeria’s creative landscape.
“Beyond the Slate” is an initiative focused on empowering emerging creatives and innovators, with a strong commitment to youth development and the growth of the creative ecosystem in Africa. VON has partnered with the organization to build sustainable structures for creatives across the continent.
Represented by his Special Assistant, Banyinorim Agbo, Mr. Ndace said that “The Economic Power of Creativity captures the essence of a fast-evolving global economy where ideas, talent and innovation have become key drivers of sustainable growth.
“As Nigeria continues to diversify its economy, the creative sector stands as one of the most promising frontiers for investment, job creation, and global visibility” he said.
The DG also commended the ‘Beyond the Slate’ team for providing a bridge between academic learning and professional practice in the creative ecosystem.
“Your commitment to nurture the next generation of storytellers, filmmakers, and media professionals is a worthy investment in Nigeria’s future” he said.
He also applauded the ‘Beyond the Slate’ team for their role in connecting academic learning with professional practice in the creative field.
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Speaking on the brand “Beyond the slate”, the founder of the initiative, Ms Nsidibe Asuqwo, said the purpose of the initiative is to educate and empower students in the creative department to see more potential in what they studied.
“You will realize that we have so many youths who studied theater arts but thereafter do something different from what they studied in school.
“There is this idea that people have when you tell them, I’m going to study theater arts. They would say, oh, you’re going there to dance. You’re going there to act. So we are here to change that perspective. Theater Arts is not just about performance. We have so many aspects in theater arts. We have the managerial aspect. We have the administrative aspect. We have the creative aspect, different from performance. So we are here to highlight all these sectors for graduates from theater, film, and media studies on how to transition into the industry, into different areas, not just performance” she said.
Speaking on how to achieve this initiative, Ms Asuqwo said they are open to support and collaboration from schools and cooperative organisations.
“This is a flagship launch for everyone to know that this is what we do, and set the foundation straight. Next year is the empowerment program. Six weeks training, the mentorship, the guidance, the transition program starts fully next year. So, I’m calling on brands, I’m calling on schools, theater arts bodies to support this vision because it is time for us to shine light on different areas that we can actually explore beyond performance in theater arts departments.
The event had young creatives in the area of film making, fashion designing, acting and others who held discussions about their transition into the industry.