Nearly one in five Nigerian creative professionals spend more than half of their working time each week on administrative tasks instead of creative work, according to a new report by NECLive.
The finding is contained in the State of Nigeria’s Creative Economy 2026 report, which surveyed 377 professionals across eight creative sectors and examined the structural challenges limiting the industry’s growth.
The report found that 19.6% of respondents spend more than 50 per cent of their weekly productive time on non-creative administrative activities. Overall, 83 per cent said they lose at least 10% of their productive time each week to such tasks, while 53.6% lose more than a quarter of their working time.
The findings highlight what the report describes as an “administration tax” on Nigeria’s creative economy, with activities such as logistics, sourcing, paperwork and chasing payments consuming hours that could otherwise be devoted to creative production.
The survey covered professionals in advertising and marketing, digital content creation and influencing, film and video, music and audio, technology and gaming, design, fashion and other creative subsectors.
According to the report, 34 per cent of respondents lose between 26 per cent and 50 per cent of their productive time to non-creative tasks, while 30 per cent lose between 10 per cent and 25 per cent.
Another 24 per cent reported losing more than half of their productive time to administrative work, leaving only 17% who lose less than 10 per cent.
The report noted that the problem is not simply about individual productivity but reflects weaknesses in the broader business environment, including unreliable financial infrastructure and inadequate legal and contractual frameworks.
It argued that recovering even half of the time currently lost to administrative activities could significantly increase output without requiring equivalent increases in hiring or funding.
Payment-related challenges emerged as another major source of lost productivity.
The report identified chasing outstanding payments, resolving payment disputes and dealing with delayed compensation as persistent problems for creative professionals.
About 51 per cent of respondents identified payment disputes as a major collaboration challenge, pointing to what the report described as a systemic trust deficit within the creative economy.
Opaque payment systems and delayed royalties were also ranked as the third-largest source of waste in creative production, behind unexpected on-site costs and equipment breakdowns or supply-chain delays.
The findings suggest that the sector’s productivity problems extend beyond access to finance and equipment. Inefficient administrative processes and unreliable payment systems are also limiting the amount of time and resources creatives can devote to producing content and services.
