Minister says government is building policy and institutional frameworks to expand Nigeria’s creative and tourism industries

By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar (Katsina Times)

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has said Nigeria’s creative sector is currently contributing roughly 2.3 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the Federal Government targeting a N100 billion GDP contribution and two million jobs by 2030.

Musawa disclosed this on Tuesday when the Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof. Ayo Omotayo, and former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, visited her office to discuss plans for a National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy.

She said the Ministry had inaugurated four drafting committees covering policy and strategy, programmes and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation as part of efforts to develop the institutional and financial architecture needed to grow the creative industries.

Musawa said the committees were expected to help establish the framework required to move the sector towards the Federal Government’s 2030 targets.

“We are also concluding work on the National Tourism Policy that will anchor this vision for years to come,” she said.

The minister welcomed NIPSS’s proposal to make the Orange Economy the focus of its Section 48 study, saying it aligned with her ministry’s mandate and the Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda.

She described the Orange Economy as encompassing the creative, cultural and cultural-heritage sectors, and said the government was working to reposition them as drivers of national economic growth.

Advertisement

According to her, the ministry was ready to partner with NIPSS as a technical partner and convener of stakeholders for the proposed summit and exhibition.

Earlier, Omotayo said the NIPSS delegation’s visit was part of its engagement with relevant institutions ahead of the proposed National Summit and Exhibition.

He said the institute was aligning its work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic agenda and was seeking the ministry’s partnership to develop institutional frameworks and strategic policies capable of supporting the country’s economic goals for 2030.

Mohammed, who also spoke during the visit, said the proposed Orange Economy Summit and Exhibition could create employment opportunities and strengthen Nigeria’s creative industry.

He described the creative industry as an important part of the country’s economic future and called for greater attention to its development.

NIPSS is currently conducting its Senior Executive Course 48 for 2026, whose study theme is “Organising Economic and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.”

The proposed summit is expected to provide a platform for government institutions and stakeholders to examine the opportunities, challenges and policy requirements for expanding Nigeria’s Orange Economy.