The Federal Government is targeting a 2.3 per cent contribution to Nigeria’s GDP and two million additional jobs from the creative sector by 2030, as part of efforts to diversify the economy.
Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, disclosed this when a delegation from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), led by its Director-General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, visited her.
The delegation also included Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information and Culture.
The visit focused on NIPSS’ plans to organise a National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy and seek the ministry’s support for the initiative.
Musawa said the ministry was developing the policy and institutional framework needed to expand the contribution of the creative, cultural and tourism sectors to the economy.
She said the government was working to reposition these sectors as major drivers of economic growth rather than treating them as secondary areas of economic activity.
“We are also concluding work on the National Tourism Policy that will anchor this vision for years to come,” she said.
The minister said four committees had been established to develop the sector’s policy and implementation framework. Their responsibilities cover policy and strategy, programmes and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation.
According to Musawa, the committees would help establish the institutional and financial structures required to support Nigeria’s creative industries.
The Orange Economy, which encompasses creative, cultural and cultural-heritage activities, is increasingly being positioned by the government as an important component of its economic diversification strategy.
The creative sector currently contributes between 1.2 per cent and 2 per cent of GDP and provides employment for about 4.2 million Nigerians, according to figures cited by the minister.
Omotayo said Nigeria’s creative sector could potentially contribute as much as $450 billion to the economy and support President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of growing the economy to $1 trillion by 2030.
He said NIPSS had identified the creative sector as the latest area of focus in its assessment of sectors that could help drive the country towards the $1 trillion economy target.
“For the national institute, we have bonded ourselves to the agenda of Mr President in which he wants Nigeria to reach a trillion-dollar economy by 2030,” Omotayo said.
He said the planned Orange Economy summit would examine how Nigeria could unlock the sector’s potential and use it to support broader economic transformation.
Musawa said the government’s approach was aimed at creating an environment where creativity, culture and tourism could generate investment, jobs and new revenue streams.
