The minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, has described its Creative Renaissance Project as a legacy project for the culture industry.
Musawa disclosed this at the 54th edition of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC’s) Culture and Creative Economy Summit (CCES) held recently in Abuja.
The Creative Renaissance Project is a proposed project through which the ministry aims to work with state commissions of arts, culture, and tourism to localise its eight-point culture roadmap agenda, which is targeted at harnessing the power of the creative industry for economic growth.
Identifying the need for continuity as a significant problem of government, Musawa said the Creative Renaissance Project is a means of aligning and sustaining culture and creativity for future generations.
Thus, the ministry, in collaboration with the National Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the NCAC, is working to domesticate the project in states and ensure that the unique cultural expressions of all states are represented.
However, to do so, it requires the buy-in of the states through its commissioners present at the summit.
“Many people who can contribute to the creative industry live in rural areas. It was necessary to shake hands from the federal government to the state government. We have put together a project for the states to localise it. With the template we forwarded to the commissioners, they will highlight areas that best address the needs of their states,” said Musawa.
Speaking on the project‘s benefits for states, Special Assistant to the Minister on Deliverables Roshan Nanayakkara said it will ensure that unique projects tailored to states‘ needs and specific cultural values are conceptualised. Where such projects are already in existence and owned by the state or in collaboration with the private sector, they will be adopted as a federal-state project for continuity’s sake and backed with resources.
“Resources will include funding, technical and human resource assistance. We will work with them to not only deliver the project, but ensure its conclusion and that the resources are used for the purpose they are meant for,” said Nanayakkara.
However, he noted that if approved, the bulk of the funding will come from the federal government, and states must demonstrate some (financial) commitment.
“That is why we need the buy-in of the state governor. We have to do it together. We expect that interested states will dedicate some resources towards this.”
Agreeing to the proposal, Professor Ojo Bakare Rasaki, Chairman of the Forum of Commissioners of Arts, Culture and Tourism Nigeria and Commissioner of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Ekiti State, said it would bring development to states and help facilitate funding for them.
“When discussing culture and tourism, the states own these products. The minister is trying to assist states to gain global attention and attract funding. These two things are critical to developing arts, culture and tourism globally.
