AFRICAN NATIONS SHOULD GIVE THE CREATIVE SECTOR THE SAME PRIORITY THAT NIGERIA DOES - LAI MOHAMMED

The Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has appealed to African leaders to invest more in the creative industry for job and wealth creation

The minister appealed in a remark at the closing of the sixth edition of the Edinburgh International Cultural Summit in Edinburgh, Scotland. "African ministers should come together and look at the creative industry with a view to working synergy and persuading various governments to invest more in the sector. We should let them understand that today, the creative industry is a big economy." Mr Mohammed was quoted as saying.

Segun Adeyemi, the Special Assistant to the President (Media), affiliated with the Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, made the text of the minister's speech available. According to Mr. Mohammed, many African nations have paid the least attention to the creative sector.

According to him, the majority of African nations have STEM education policies or curriculum choices, which have an impact on workforce development. The minister claims that after realizing the problem, Nigeria changed its policies and programs to embrace the creative industry.

He cited the pledge of $100 million for the National Theatre in Lagos' refurbishment and the creation of four centers for movies, fashion, music, and technology. The minister claimed that the hubs will offer the creative industry's lacking but essential infrastructure. A portion of the $170 million loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB), according to him, has lately been set aside by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the development of the country's creative economy.