Nigeria to host African creative economy event in Lagos November 5–8 — Oduwole

The federal government will host a major African creative economy event in Lagos from November 5 to 8, as part of efforts to drive trade, investment, exports and job creation through Nigeria’s creative industries.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. She said the event would bring together creators, businesses, investors, financiers, policymakers and market-access partners from across Africa and beyond.

Oduwole said the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) was “much more than a celebration of African creativity”, describing it as “a platform for trade, investment, enterprise and market access.”

She said the Federal Government was positioning Nigeria’s creative industries as part of its broader trade and export agenda towards achieving a $1 trillion economy.

“Nigeria has fashion, literature, visual arts, gastronomy, sports and a wider creative economy. Our priority is to ensure that this talent translates into sustainable businesses, intellectual property, exports and jobs,” she said.

According to the minister, the changing nature of global trade, with increasing value being created through services, technology, content, intellectual property and culture, provides an opportunity for Nigeria to capture more economic value from its creative sector.

“The opportunity before us is to capture more of the economic value generated by that creativity. That means connecting our creators and creative businesses to finance, investors, distribution, technology and international markets,” Oduwole said.

She said the event would bring together creators, businesses, investors, financiers, policymakers, distributors and market-access partners, with the government seeking tangible economic outcomes from the engagements.

“Today, our message is simple: we want to see partnerships formed, financing mobilised, intellectual property commercialised, businesses entering new markets and Nigerian creative enterprises scaling beyond our borders,” she said.