AFD Supports Nigeria’s Creative Industry With €100m

The French Development Agency (AFD) is working with the Nigerian government through the Ministry of Finance, and the Bank of Industry (BOI), to support the nation’s Creative and Culture Industry (CCI) through the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (I-DICE).

Head of Social Link, AFD, Celine Gilquin, made this known during a media conference with African journalists recently in Paris, France.

The agency’s support to CCIs in Nigeria via I-DICE, which amounts to €100 million is part of its new mandate from 2018, to support CCIs globally and Africa in particular, with focus on audiovisual, digital, and cultural heritage projects.

A $618m funding initiative by the Nigerian government in partnership with African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and AFD, I-DICE targets the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation amongst young Nigerians in the digital technology and creative industries, through the provision of mentorship and funding of youths in both industries.

“CCIs are considered an important leverage of development for AFD. They are a priority, given their impact not only on employment and economic development, but are also drivers of social cohesion and integration.

“In Nigeria, AFD is currently working with local authorities and especially the Ministry of Finance, and the BOI on an ambitious vocational training programme, I-DICE, with a part dedicated to the CCIs.

“The dynamism of the creative scene in Nigeria has been strongly identified by AFD, in several fields. The animation scene is seen as a vivid area, not only for the audiovisual industry but also in fields such as education. Fashion and design sectors have also been pointed out as leading cultural and creative industries that could include the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in their development,” said Gilquin.

Of its €36.1 million grant commitment to the CCIs global sector, AFD grant support for Africa’s CCIs in 2022

stands at €20.2 million.

Although AFD works mainly on macro projects in conjunction with governments, which are based on countries requests, sources at the agency said it is conscious of the roles civil societies and cultural entrepreneurs play in the creative and cultural industries, hence, its flagship projects, Accès Culture and Afrique Creative, worth two million and three million respectively, to help fund small-scale cultural programmes in Africa.

Through Accès Culture, implemented in partnership with Institut Francais (IF), AFD funds cultural projects with strong social impact jointly carried out by local civil societies/cultural entrepreneurs and French associations; whilst providing technical and financial support for creative entrepreneurs via its incubation project, Afrique Creative.

Since their establishment in 2019, both projects have been renewed for a second and third editions, with over €5.25 million invested, resulting in the support of over a hundred CCI projects in over 30 African countries, of which 50 per cent of the 55,000 beneficiaries of the resulting cultural activities/products are women.

“AFD has supported the cultural and creative industries since 2018, with more than €150 million invested into 60+ projects and 100+ micro projects. For example AFD is funding the rehabilitation of palaces and creation of a museum in Abomey, Benin Republic, as well as vocational training in Nigeria.

“Our main continent of intervention is Africa, and most of the projects are targeting youngsters and women as beneficiaries,” concluded Gilquin.

Working with a vast number of French and local partners and civil societies, AFD support various activities in the cultural and creative industries through the funding of cultural infrastructure and facilities, vocational training in culture-related activities, cultural entrepreneurship, and cultural policies and governance, all geared towards the development and structuring of the global CCIs sector.

The agency also leverages on the role of culture in addressing sustainable development goals (SDGs) 8, 5, 11, 10, through the support of projects in 2022 that through culture reduces multidimensional poverty, supports preservation of culture and access to culture in cities; in addition to cultural projects that bolster equal access for women and men to cultural goods and services. It also supports the professionalisation of cultural stakeholders, the development of entrepreneurship, and the promotion of sustainable tourism.