National Theatre Takes ‘Beyond Lagos’ Creative Push to Kano, Targets Northern Artists

By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

The National Theatre has launched a fresh drive to bring artists and creative practitioners in Northern Nigeria closer to the opportunities, funding and business support available within the country’s growing creative economy.

The initiative, unveiled at the Kano Creative Summit 2026 on Thursday, is designed to bridge regional gaps in access to funding, financial literacy, digital tools and practical skills needed to transform creative talent into sustainable businesses.

Speaking at the summit, the General Manager of the National Theatre, Tola Akerele, said the decision to hold the programme in Kano was part of a deliberate strategy to decentralise Nigeria’s creative economy and ensure that opportunities are not concentrated in Lagos and other established creative hubs.

Akerele said Nigeria’s creative energy existed across the country and should be supported wherever talented practitioners were found.

“The summit exists because some energy and creativity live in every corner of this country, not only in Lagos, to decentralize access to the tools, knowledge and opportunities the creative economy runs on, and to put them within reach of practitioners far beyond the cities where they are usually concentrated,” she said.

She described Kano as a strategic location for the engagement, stressing that the city and the wider northern region had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s cultural and creative heritage.

According to her, the choice of Kano was “intentional and not symbolic,” because the region deserved the same level of infrastructure and support systems available to other creative centres.

“This belongs here as much as anywhere in the country, not as an afterthought but as a recognition of what this city has always contributed to Nigeria’s creative life,” Akerele added.

She particularly highlighted the visual and performing arts and the film industry, noting that Kano’s position as the home of Kannywood made it an important centre for the development of Nigeria’s creative economy.

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“Kano is the home of Kannywood, one of Nigeria’s great film industries. Bringing financial literacy and market structures to the region would help practitioners convert talent into sustainable careers,” she said.

In her opening remarks, Akerele noted that Kano’s creative heritage extended beyond filmmaking, pointing to its long-standing traditions in craftsmanship, music, literature and cultural festivals.

She said the major challenge confronting many creative practitioners was not a shortage of talent but the absence of adequate structures capable of turning creative abilities into viable and sustainable businesses.

She therefore called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, private investors and development partners to improve infrastructure, skills development, access to finance, digital technology and intellectual property protection.

Akerele said the summit’s theme, “Beyond Lagos,” represented a broader call to expand Nigeria’s creative economy across all regions and unlock the potential of young people in the North.

She said developing the sector beyond established creative centres could create jobs, promote tourism, attract investment and provide new opportunities for young Nigerians.

Participants at the summit were exposed to practical sessions covering intellectual property protection, funding models, digital distribution and strategies for building commercially viable creative enterprises.

The National Theatre’s intervention is expected to provide northern creative practitioners with greater access to the knowledge, networks and financial tools required to compete more effectively within Nigeria’s expanding creative economy.