A new regional culture-economy platform, SEKI-NOMICS, has been unveiled with an ambitious target of enabling up to US$45 billion in culture capital and creating opportunities linked to as many as nine million culture and creative economy jobs across the Niger Delta.

The initiative, promoted by Seki Kulture and Culture Money Africa, is designed to turn the region’s rich cultural heritage, creative talent and diversity into sustainable enterprises, investment opportunities and livelihoods.

SEKI-NOMICS will cover the nine Niger Delta states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers, with a proposed framework linking creators and communities to skills, technology, finance, cultural infrastructure, tourism and markets.

The promoters, however, stressed that the US$45 billion figure is a long-term ambition for value to be mobilised and enabled, rather than capital already raised, committed or deployed.

At the heart of the initiative are 12 proposed Culture Accelerators covering the Creative Economy, Green Economy, Tech Economy, Tourism Economy, Blue Economy, SHEconomy, Youth Economy, Fashion Economy, Culture for Humanity, Peace and Security, Global Diplomacy and Job Creation.

According to the promoters, the accelerators would bring together cultural custodians, creators, communities, governments, businesses, investors, educational institutions and diaspora partners to develop interconnected cultural value chains.

They explained that a festival, for instance, could create work for performers and designers while generating additional demand for local food, transportation, hospitality, digital media and heritage tourism.

The Chief Executive Officer of Seki Kulture, Yibo Koko, said the platform was conceived to provide stronger systems for people working within the region’s cultural economy.

“The Niger Delta has extraordinary cultural wealth, but we need stronger systems to help the people behind that wealth develop and sustain their work,” Koko said.

He added that SEKI-NOMICS would connect the region’s stories, festivals and creative talent with training, enterprise opportunities and markets, while ensuring that communities participate in decisions about how their heritage is represented and how its economic value is shared.

The programme’s proposed long-term targets include supporting 900,000 creative entrepreneurs through skills development, enterprise support, finance and market access.

It also targets 9,000 Culture-for-ESG impact projects, 900,000 Culture-AI Talent Development Grants, 900 Heritage Tourism Festivals and 90,000 She2Create Grants to support women in cultural and creative enterprises.

The plan further proposes pathways into creative enterprise for nine million young people, 45 Fashion Heritage Week Festivals, 90,000 Heritage-for-Humanity Envoys, 9,000 Diversity4Development Hubs and 900 Global Goals Diplomacy Festivals.

The promoters said the proposed targets are not claims of achievements, noting that their delivery would require feasibility studies, phased implementation, financing, institutional partnerships and transparent reporting.

They also stressed that participation in a programme would not automatically be counted as a job or a sustained livelihood.

A central objective of SEKI-NOMICS is to enable creators to earn more from their work and retain a fair share of the value generated by their cultural products and services.

Proposed interventions include creative skills development, product design, business training, intellectual-property awareness, digital commerce, investment readiness and connections to buyers.

The platform would also explore investment in production facilities, cultural hubs, marketplaces, performance spaces, heritage destinations and tourism infrastructure, with emphasis on community ownership, cultural integrity and environmental responsibility.

The Chief Executive Officer of Culture Money Africa, Victor Agih, said the US$45 billion ambition was aimed at organising investment around the Niger Delta’s cultural assets and creative economy.

“Culture capital is built when talent has access to the institutions, infrastructure, finance and markets needed to grow,” Agih said.

He said the promoters wanted to create credible opportunities for creators and investors while measuring whether income, jobs and assets generated by the cultural economy benefit the communities that make it possible.

SEKI-NOMICS also seeks to connect cultural development with environmental and social priorities through its proposed Blue and Green Economy Accelerators.

According to the promoters, the components would link cultural participation with wetland conservation, climate awareness, circular production and responsible tourism.

Its women and youth pathways would focus on improving access to skills, productive resources, enterprise support and paid opportunities, while the heritage and diplomacy programmes would enable communities to document their knowledge, tell their stories and engage wider audiences.

The proposed impact framework would track capital mobilised, enterprises supported, creator revenues, products sold, festivals delivered, visitors attracted, paid opportunities created and jobs sustained.

The organisers said the framework would also distinguish between environmental pledges and actual conservation actions completed, as well as verified ecological outcomes.

Seki Kulture and Culture Money Africa are inviting governments, traditional institutions, cultural organisations, creators, universities, financial institutions, investors, tourism operators, technology partners, development organisations and diaspora networks to participate in developing the platform.

The next phase is expected to involve mapping cultural assets and enterprise needs, assessing the accelerator proposals, designing pilot projects and establishing credible financing and measurement arrangements.

The promoters said specific projects, funding commitments and delivery timelines would be announced as they are confirmed.

They described the initiative as an effort to reposition culture as a source of identity, enterprise and investment, declaring: “Culture is identity. Culture is enterprise. Culture is capital.”