Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday described Nigeria’s creative industry as the country’s “next oil”, saying the sector has enormous potential to create jobs and drive economic growth.
Mohammed spoke in Abuja during a meeting between the leadership of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
The meeting was held as part of efforts by NIPSS and the ministry to develop strategies for using the creative sector to support President Bola Tinubu’s target of growing Nigeria’s economy to $1tn by 2030.
The former minister, who is the Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud, a consulting firm for the forthcoming National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy, said Nigeria needed to look beyond crude oil and exploit the economic opportunities in its creative and cultural industries.
He said, “I have always said it when I was a minister that our next oil is actually the creative industry – it’s our films, music, gastronomy, fashion, publishing, sports and others.
