The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mr Obi Asika, has emphasised the urgent need to digitise Nigeria’s cultural heritage in order to secure the country’s relevance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem.
Speaking during a fireside chat at the GITEX Nigeria Tech Expo and Future Economy Conference in Lagos, Asika said Nigeria’s cultural and historical assets were vital to AI development and to the growth of the creative economy.
He pointed out that ancient palaces across Northern Nigeria house centuries-old manuscripts and inscriptions in Hausa, Kanuri and Fulfulde, containing knowledge in science, mathematics, medicine, technology and governance.
“We must transcribe and digitise these archives. They are repositories of innovation. If AI is not trained with our culture, Nigeria will be missing globally,” he said.
Asika warned that failure to digitise Nigeria’s languages and cultural records could result in African knowledge being excluded from global AI systems, thereby deepening marginalisation in the digital era.
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To prepare the creative sector for the AI age, the NCAC, he said, had established the Council for Creative Tech Futures (CCTF) to design a roadmap for the cultural and creative industries.
The council, he added, would align with the national AI strategy of the Ministry of Digital Economy and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), while also creating sector-specific policies.
Identifying over 50 subsectors of the creative economy including fashion, gaming, literature, architecture, cuisine, publishing, animation and beauty that remain underrepresented in Nigeria’s economic planning, Asika stressed the industry’s untapped potential.
“The UK creative industry is worth £125 billion. By 2030, Nigeria can surpass that, creating over 20 million jobs. Some forecasts place our sector at $250 billion by 2035, but only if we deliberately invest and prioritise the creative economy as a growth driver,” he said.
He further highlighted the acquisition of a stake in Mavin Records by a global music label, valued between $100 million and $200 million, as evidence of the international potential of Nigerian creativity.
“This shows African creativity can compete globally. We must replicate such success across music, film, fashion and other industries,” he noted.
According to him, while telecommunications companies provide infrastructure, the true value lies in content and culture.
“Our narratives are our strength. For centuries, Africa lost control of its story. Technology now gives us a chance to reclaim it. Content and culture give us identity, and that is where Nigeria will truly win,” Asika said.
He urged stronger collaboration between government, investors and industry stakeholders, insisting that Nigeria’s youthful population and abundant creativity could drive exponential growth if fully harnessed.