"Within this innovative city, all the subsectors can demonstrate their ability to create jobs and boost tourism for increased contribution to national revenue".
The federal government says plans are underway to construct the Nigerian Creative City, a one-stop hub for talent development and youth empowerment.
Hannatu Musawa, minister of art, culture and creative economy (FMACCE), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the minister, the project is part of initiatives conceived by the new FMACCE to provide a platform to harness creative opportunities that abound across the country for economic gains.
"We are talking about Nigerian Creative City, which I hope will be a one-stop shop for the 49 subsectors within the creative industry. So, within this innovative city, all the subsectors can demonstrate their ability to create jobs and boost tourism for increased contribution to national revenue.
"Although the Ministry of Culture, Art, and Creative Economy will have a presence in every state, the massive project of a creative city will be here in Abuja, the FCT.One of the things that I said that we were going to do as a ministry is to contribute to the economic expansion of our country.
"There is substantial real estate, and I continue to say this, not only in culture but in the creative industries that have been entirely untapped for a long time.
Players within the industry have been able to organically grow the industry in a way that has given value to the industry and themselves.
$100 billion contribution
Ms Musawa said the creative city is expected to offer development platforms for all genres of creativity in the arts, culture, and entertainment industries.
"The government has to come in now to close all the gaps and find a way to reposition this value to come back in. This is now where you see this $100 billion contribution already," she said.
She said that as a talent incubating and entertainment hub, the creative city would create job and business opportunities and become Nigeria's tourism hub.
According to her, the ministry will work with state ministries to ensure such hubs are replicated at the state government levels.
"We will ensure that there are incubators and hubs in every locality or at least three in the first phase in every state. These incubators and hubs allow people within their community to record music and do capacity building in their locality.
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In every single state, there will be a creative and cultural village that will also be able to house the specific and unique sub-sectors that particular state tends to specialise in. So you have your cinemas, arenas, incubators, and museums, and I am working closely with the Minister of Tourism," she said.
However, the minister urged Nigerian youths to shun activities that could destabilise the country, as no meaningful development could occur in an atmosphere of hatred.
She advised youths to embrace opportunities in the creative space, especially as the Federal Government was keen on ensuring that their IP rights were protected for maximum gains.
"I want to tell the Nigerian youth, specifically in this fantastic sector of culture and creative industry, that this government cares for them. This is the first ministry of its kind, and I need you to help me build long-term sustainability that will empower the ecosystem and every Nigerian person.
"Our ministry has an open-door policy. If you have an idea for the industry and you exist within it, please feel free to bring it to me for consideration. Nigeria's future rests within this industry so that we can build an enabling environment for the future. We are a fantastic country of talent and content, and this content comes from you. Now that we have this fantastic platform, let us build the future of this industry," she said.
(NAN)
