British Council partners First Bank and Gentalks Creative to invest in the Nigerian creative industry

British Council has partnered with First Bank of Nigeria Limited to launch GenTalks Creative, in association with Generational Voices (GenVoices) to stimulate youth participation in the articulation of practical growth strategies for Nigeria’s creative industries using digital platforms.

 The programme aims to gather ideas on sector development strategies and reinforce young people’s capacity to participate and lead policy and sector development. This project will stimulate solution focused debate and discourse based on already articulated growth barriers to the Nigerian Creative Industries.

Tagged: ‘GenTalks Creative: Growth Strategies for the Nigerian Creative Economy” , the project will crowd source growth ideas online and curate these into a series of face-to-face events with participation from key Nigerian Creative Industries stakeholders and young people interested in the growth of this sector. The project output will be a green paper which will map out recommendations for the growth of the sector in Nigeria. The produced green paper will be used to advocate a more supportive policy framework for the sector in Nigeria.

Technical expertise for the project is provided by Tom Fleming Consultancy, a UK Creative Consultancy that specialises in research and policy support for the cultural and creative industries sector world-wide.

In her remarks on the motivation for designing and launching the project, Director Arts British Council, Ms. Ojoma Ochai, stated that  ‘the Creative Industries in Nigeria with its existing comparative advantage and market appeal in fashion, music, film and other creative sectors presents a huge untapped opportunity that Nigeria needs to harness’. She further articulated that ‘when you consider that the UK creative economy generates 8 Million pounds per hour for the UK economy’, you can begin to understand the scale of potential we are talking about.

 Commenting on the partnership, the Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Folake Ani-Mumuney stated that the initiative is a demonstration of the bank’s leadership role and continued support for the development of the Nigerian creative arts industry, as well as the preservation of our rich cultural heritage which would create employment opportunities and a sustainable value chain within the industry.

 Mr. Reginald Bassey, GenVoices Project Lead noted that: “Nigeria is yet to reap the immense potentials that lies within the industry, particularly in the digital age when content can be delivered through various media”. He also noted that the demographic that contributes to the sector largely draws from younger people, who also have an affinity for technology, and there are no limits to what can be achieved for the economy of Nigeria when the industry is properly managed.

 You can join the conversation to share ideas on the growth and sustenance of the industry by visiting the online platform, www.gentalkscreative.com