The creative industry in Nigeria which covers Music, Fashion , Sports, Comedy, Nollywood, Food, Faith, Arts, Carnival etc is a significant sector with $4 trillion economy estimated that has the potential to drive economic growth, create jobs, enterprises and promote cultural exchange while driving the Climate Change economy through advocacy.
With the largest youth population in the world, high creativity level, Digital connectivity with about 165 m internet connectivity and dominating the social media space, Nigeria has a unique opportunity to leverage its creative industry to achieve sustainable development and climate change action like no other country.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Creative Industry generally are:
- Job Creation: The creative industry can create jobs for young people, reducing unemployment and promoting economic growth. This will reduce the hopelessness currently pervading the system and repurpose energy in the right direction.
- Cultural Exchange: The creative industry can promote cultural exchange, showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage to the world while creating revenue and enterprise for a struggling economy and the season is now within the last 5 years in the decade of action on the UNSDGs.
- Economic Diversification: The creative industry will greatly contribute to diversifying Nigeria’s economy, reducing dependence on oil and gas exposing opportunities for sectors to be developed in the course of advocacy.
- Innovation: The creative industry will drive innovation, promoting new ideas and technologies in the country and not many countries have can do this like Nigeria.
- Masses Reorientation There is need to drive a National reorientation based on perceive long and short term benefits in the course of of climate change advocacy and this strategies have been developed waiting for deployment . There no pretense that a mindset makeover is overdue for the people.
Benefits of the Creative Industry while advocating Climate Change.
- Economic Growth: The creative industry currently dominantly engages most people in the country and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s GDP however, under the cloak of the Climate Change advocacy, the country expand it scope and influence beyond borders and generate global revenue, enterprises and dominance.
- Cultural Preservation: The creative industry through story telling and content creation will help preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage, showcase prowess and correct misunderstanding and misconceptions
- Youth Empowerment: The creative industry account for most foreign currency earning and empower young people, providing them with skills and opportunities that would not have been available and so adopted as already done by the UN will further propel Nigeria 🇳🇬 as a hub as it already evolved into.
- Global Recognition: The creative industry has brought identity and promotion, recognition globally showcasing its talent and creativity resilience, and the will to survive which is subtly rebranding the country.
Challenges Facing the Creative Industry
- Piracy and Intellectual Property Theft: The creative industry faces challenges related to piracy and intellectual property theft.
- Lack of Funding: The creative industry often lacks access to funding, limiting its growth and development.
- Infrastructure: The creative industry requires adequate infrastructure, including studios, equipment, and technology.
- Regulatory Framework: The creative industry requires a supportive regulatory framework, including policies and laws that promote its growth.
Opportunities for Growth and Development
- Investment Opportunities: There are opportunities for investment in the creative industry, including film, music, and fashion, food, sports, entertainment etc and using advocacy these can be unlocked and exported uninterrupted to cities aligned with the Global Covenant of Mayor GCoM for Climate and Energy a 13000 cities alliance.
- Monetization Opportunities: There are opportunities for monetizing creative content, including digital platforms and streaming services. Nigeria has to collaborate and partner to own these platforms because currently we do not have any means of repatriating revenue from our contents in music, movies, comedy, fashion etc.
- Platforms for Content Developers: There is a need for platforms that support content developers, providing them with opportunities to showcase their work in live performances and digital content in music films and other assets.
- Advocacy: Advocacy is necessary to promote the creative industry, highlighting its benefits and importance and at the same time creating climate mitigation and adaptation content for public benefits. A case study is Hollywood movie industry and how it was used to fool the whole world and created the perceptions we hold today about the west.
Climate Change Action and the Creative Industry
- Awareness and Education: The creative industry will play a significant role in raising awareness about climate change and promoting education and generally drive an end to end implementation of all the UNSDGs and their targets.
- Sustainable Practices: The creative industry can promote sustainable practices, reducing its environmental impact create jobs along those lines and enterprises in the economy.
- Innovative Solutions: The creative industry drives innovative solutions to climate change, promoting new ideas and technologies and exposing more opportunities that could have been ignored.
- Wealth Creation: global opportunity to take Nigeria 🇳🇬 creative industry across the world, making money, revenue for the country and brand recognition while advocat as a major UN partner in achieving sustainability.
Conclusively,
The creative industry in Nigeria has the potential to drive economic growth, create jobs, enterprises, diversify economy, export knowledge and digital products and promote cultural exchange. With the right support and investment, the creative industry can become a significant contributor to Nigeria’s economy and a leader in the global creative industry. We believe that with the right policies and strategies, Nigeria can harness the power of its creative industry to achieve sustainable development and climate change action.
Recommendations
- Develop a National Creative Industry Policy: Develop a policy that promotes the growth and development of the creative industry.
- Provide Funding and Investment Opportunities: Provide funding and investment opportunities for the creative industry.
- Promote Intellectual Property Protection: Promote intellectual property protection, reducing piracy and theft. Develop and deploy digital capabilities to seem lessly harness, protect and monetize content.
- Develop Infrastructure: Develop infrastructure that supports the creative industry, including studios, equipment, and technology for globalization of IP as well as monetization.
- Support Advocacy and Awareness: UN had adopted various elements of the Creative industry for the Support of advocacy and awareness efforts that promote sustainability , creative industry and its benefits as well as driving the creation of a carbon resilient economy.
Implementation Plan
- Short-term: Develop a national creative industry implementation plan for existing policy and provide funding and investment opportunities Deli
- Medium-term: Activate activities, events, to engage every aspect of the creative industry and Develop infrastructure and promote intellectual property protection.
- Long-term: Support advocacy and awareness efforts and promote sustainable practices in the creative industry deploying long term capabilities for sustainable development.
By implementing these recommendations, Nigeria can harness the power of its creative industry to achieve sustainable development and climate change action, promoting economic growth while exporting it’s creative industries all over the world and generate global revenue for the country.
Source: The Plenary