UK Govt. explores partnership with Lagos show organisers

Following the controversies trailing the showbiz culture in Nigeria, the UK government has begun talks with organisers of the January 1 Burna Boy’s ‘Lagos Loves Damini’ concert, towards exploring a partnership that would shore up the entertainment sector in Nigeria.

Steps toward the partnership kicked off at a meeting held at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos, recently. .

At the meeting were Mr. Kaycee Kennedy of Creative Economy Catalyst Ltd, the main promoter of the show, and Chim Chalemera, Country Director, UK Department for International Trade.

In his remarks, Kennedy listed the positives, including the fact that the show was the first from Africa listed on Burna Boy’s official website + ticketing.

He said that the desire to address the main challenges and negatives encountered at the Lagos show necessitated the visit to the British Deputy High Commission to meet with the UK Department for International Trade and discuss possible collaboration for future events.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports, the issue of inadequate power supply and the power surge that led to an outage that took off a good number of equipment was discussed extensively.

Also discussed was the need for logistics support in areas such as infrastructure which includes equipment hire and the standardisation of such equipment in a bid to meet minimum international standards.

The meeting also looked at vendor sourcing and management as well as
possible support for waste management after the concerts and other such large events.

It was agreed that an adequate waste recycling structure is a very critical post-concert facility so as to preserve the environment and keep to acclaimed international bio disposal and environmental standards.

Chalemera, in her contribution, said she was happy to provide the necessary support, including match-making and introduction to relevant UK companies to partner with the concert promoters.

According to her, the partnership would ensure future concerts are delivered to international standards.

NAN reports that in November 2022, the UK Department for International Trade, facilitated a trade mission for 18 UK companies participating in £20m Round 10 Energy Catalyst for sustainable energy.

They visited Eko Energy City, the venue of “Lagos Loves Damini” show, and were hosted by Creative Economy Catalyst Ltd.

Accordingly, the Friday follow-up visit signified a major step geared towards developing a partnership between Creative Economy Catalyst and the Department for International Trade just before the next round of international shows and concerts slated for 2023 at Eko Energy City, Lagos.