The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa, alongside key policymakers, has called for a sweeping reform of Nigeria’s cultural policies to better align with the digital age and foster a more investment-friendly environment in the creative sector.
The call was made at the second edition of the Nigeria Entertainment and Economic Roundtable, held on Thursday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. Themed “Culture and Tourism: Unlocking Possibilities and Locating Pathways to Rapid Economic Diversification,” the event brought together representatives of the governors of Abia, Ogun, Sokoto, Katsina, Plateau, Bauchi, and other stakeholders in the creative industry.
In her opening address, Musawa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating a thriving ecosystem for the creative sector through strategic collaborations and policy support.
“Let’s work together to explore innovative solutions for financing creative enterprises, harnessing digital transformation, and strengthening our legal and regulatory frameworks to better support entrepreneurs in these industries.
“We must also focus on skills development, intellectual property protection, and expanding access to global markets to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of Nigeria’s creative economy,” she added.
Chuks Akamadu, Managing Director of Afrocultour Limited and CEO of the Nigeria Entertainment and Economic Roundtable, said the roundtable was designed to amplify the government’s economic diversification agenda by positioning culture and tourism as strategic assets for national development.
He emphasised the need for political will at both the federal and state levels to prioritise the creative and tourism sectors.
Akamadu urged state governments to enact policies that attract both domestic and foreign investment. He noted that the roundtable seeks to serve as an inclusive platform for idea exchange, policy peer review among states, and exposure to international best practices in integrating culture and tourism into local economies.
“We will assess the contributions of the culture and tourism sectors to the economy, examine the pivotal role of the hospitality industry and destination managers in promoting Nigeria’s cultural and tourism assets, advance discussions around a ‘National Endowment Fund for the Arts’ and the ‘Imperatives of Cultural Entrepreneurship,’ and identify ways state governments can capitalize on existing opportunities.
“We will also celebrate the leading states in Nigeria’s five distinct tourism clusters: the Tropical Rainforest Cluster, Conference Capital Cluster, Atlantic Gateway Cluster, Scenic Nature Cluster, and Sahara Gateway Cluster,” he concluded.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, commended the initiative as a platform fostering collaboration between creative professionals, policymakers, and investors.
She stressed that Nigeria’s creative and tourism sectors hold immense potential for driving economic diversification, cultural exchange, and inclusive growth.
“By tapping into the potential of the creative and tourism industries, Nigeria can play a significant role in economic diversification, foster cultural exchange, and drive inclusive growth,” she said.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala also highlighted the global significance of these sectors, noting that trade in services is the fastest-growing segment of international trade, accounting for over two-thirds of global GDP and employing a substantial portion of the global workforce.
