The Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, recently unveiled the roadmap to substantially boost the contribution of the creative industry to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The move is expected to promote Nigeria’s cultural diversity and make the country a leading global hub for the creative industry.
The minister, who stated this in Abuja, also listed some strategic plans that will help Nigeria to reach this goal by 2030. One of the goals is to increase to 10 per cent the contribution of the creative industry to the GDP. Another is to increase the sector’s economic output to $100 billion by 2030. The creative industry roadmap will create more jobs. It will also encourage tourism.
Under the initiative, there will be policy, legislative, regulatory and intellectual property reforms to create the favourable environment for the sector to thrive. The plan will help to discover new talents and attract investors.
According to the minister, “our plan has clear growth targets. Among those targets is our ambition to elevate the Nigerian industries, comprising Arts, Culture and Creative industries to rank among the top 20 globally in terms of GDP contribution, wealth creation, employment, and poverty reduction in line with the 2050 agenda.” She added that through innovative strategies, technological integration, and enhanced market access, the ministry’s target is to increase the value of its sectoral output by 50 per cent in line with the 2021 to 2025 national development plans.
We commend the government’s new roadmap for the creative industry. At the same time, we urge the minister and those involved in the ambitious project to seamlessly implement the plans to achieve the desired objectives. For long, the development of the creative industry has depended so much on the contributions of the private sector and other players. Unfortunately, government’s involvement and contributions have not been enough. We hope the narrative will soon change.
In 2013, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan unveiled N3 billion stimulus package to boost the nation’s Nollywood movie industry. Before this, Jonathan had in 2010 announced the setting up of a revolving loan of $200million or N32 billion for the industry. However, the intervention loan was trailed with complaints of inaccessibility. We hope the new roadmap will not be affected by bureaucracy and unnecessary meddlesomeness by politicians and civil servants. We urge the minister to involve the private sector and players in the nation’s movie industry in the execution of the worthy project.
No doubt, the nation’s creative industry is a goldmine waiting to be fully tapped. If the potential of the creative industry is well harnessed, it is likely going to be the nation’s next oil. It may even surpass money from oil. Developing the creative economy is good. Nigerian music and movies are all over the world. Our musicians are making waves and topping global charts. Our actors are also doing well. Our writers are among the best in the world.
The creative sector is one that has the capacity to drive the nation’s economy and widen the nation’s revenue base. It should be used to further diversify the economy. We urge all tiers of government to develop the creative sector.
Let there be increased public sector investment in the industry. The success story of Nollywood shows that the creative industry can be used to develop the country. The government should put in place the needed enablers for the industry to thrive. The industry needs equipment and training schools.
What Lagos State government is doing in the sector through its proposed $100 million Film City project in Epe is commendable. The project intends to enhance originality in content creation in Nollywood. The Lagos State governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu, who performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, recently, disclosed that the state government would be doubling the capacity-building support for talented young industry players to enhance their skills in modern filmmaking. He added that grants for filmmakers would be increased henceforth to enable them operate seamlessly.
It is laudable that Enugu State government is equally doing a lot to improve the creative sector. We urge other state governments to follow suit. Nigeria has tourism and creative potential in all parts of the country that can be developed. Doing so will boost the internally generated revenue profiles of the states and reduce unemployment.