The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has praised Nigerian creatives for their role in shaping narratives, generating jobs, and unlocking new possibilities.
In a virtual address at the International Youth Summit, organised by the Lighthouse Initiatives for Societal Impact and Development, she emphasised that Nigeria is committed to building the economy of tomorrow.
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“As a Minister, I have been tasked with the ambitious mandate to position Nigeria as the creative, cultural, and entertainment capital of the world. I believe with full conviction that we can get there not just by showcasing our talents, but by building policy, infrastructure, financing, and fostering partnerships to sustain it.”
She reiterated the Ministry’s mandate to equip talents with globally relevant skills.
“The Ministry has created an initiative, the Creative Economy Development Fund (CDF), to empower creatives and cultural entrepreneurs all across Nigeria, with over 100 million dollars committed across multiple financial windows, grants, loans, and equity. The CDF is opening access to funding to all levels of the creative value chain.”
In his welcome address, the convener and senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church, Pastor Sola Adesoye, said the event was organised to foster change and inspire creative content that upholds excellent standards, leading to transformative societies.
“We have come together at a very critical time in history, a time where the global creative industry is experiencing what I call a renaissance of possibilities, largely engineered by digital revolution and artificial intelligence.
“There is a need for creatives to unlock their potential and treat creativity as not just a passion, but a business that demands structure, sustainability, and strategy.”
The two-day event had in attendance major stakeholders in the creative industry, like Nollywood Actor and Filmmaker, Daniel Etim Effiong, who, at a panel discussion, urged young talents to be exposed to information that will help them work well and become better at what they do.
“Expose yourself to information about business, not just about your craft. You can use your gadgets to learn about design, editing, how to operate a business, copyright law, and others. Don’t restrict yourself to only what you do.”
The event also had in attendance the co-founder of Takeout Media, Elijah Affi, who advised young talents to carve out a niche for themselves and learn to monetise their skills.
“There are different online platforms where people experiment from. We have YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook for monetization. I will encourage the youths to redefine those platforms into their own content ideas. Let them not just seek permission but rather create what they want to see.”
He added that adequate infrastructure, such as access to affordable Internet service, be made available for creatives to thrive and set themselves apart.