Hikmat Bamigboye, Abuja
The Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, has launched Phase 2 of the Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF), a national initiative to accelerate growth in Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries.
The new phase prioritizes proposals from businesses seeking up to $100,000 in funding and is open to a wide range of creative industries, including film, television, animation, gaming, XR and interactive media, music, literature, publishing, visual arts, fashion, culinary arts, tourism, heritage, and cultural experiences.
According to a statement by media aide to the Minister, Dr. Nneka Ikem-Anibeze, the initiative aims to ensure inclusivity across all subsectors in Nigeria’s creative renaissance.
Ikem-Anibeze said the fund is designed to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries by providing access to finance, skills, and market opportunities.
She stated that “Building on the success of Phase 1, which recorded thousands of applications from Nigerian entrepreneurs, Phase 2 expands the scope of the programme. It targets businesses seeking to unlock growth, scale innovation, and create sustainable jobs across the creative economy.
“The CEDF sits at the heart of Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, providing the financial backbone for transforming the country’s creative assets into engines of inclusive economic growth. Phase 2 introduces a streamlined application process through the official portal .
The platform features a simplified new interface, ensuring that applicants can easily navigate funding opportunities, submit proposals, and track their application status without unnecessary hurdles.
Beyond funding access, the portal provides real-time updates, resource materials, and a transparent process to strengthen trust and accountability.
She explained: “This Phase 2 Call prioritizes proposals from businesses seeking funding of up to $100,000. The Fund is open across multiple creative sub-sectors, reflecting the diversity of Nigeria’s creative economy, including Film, Television, and Animation, Gaming, XR, and Interactive Media, Music and Entertainment, Literature and Publishing, Visual Arts and Crafts, Fashion and Design, Culinary Arts and Gastronomy, Tourism, Heritage, and Cultural Experiences, ensuring that no subsector is left behind in Nigeria’s creative renaissance.
“Phase 2 is designed to fuel innovation, create jobs, strengthen SMEs and MSMEs, drive exports, and institutionalize growth through digital tracking and reporting tools.
“The Fund aims to support businesses that leverage creativity and technology to deliver new cultural products and services, expand the employment base of the creative economy, provide financial lifelines to entrepreneurs, position Nigerian creative content and cultural goods as competitive exports, and embed mechanisms for monitoring, accountability, and sustainability.
“The launch of Phase 2 of the CEDF marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s creative economy development, and the Ministry encourages all eligible businesses and enterprises to apply for funding and support.