Develop Creative Economy Now, Not Tomorrow, UK Expert Tells Nigerian Governors

The Pro Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), United Kingdom, Professor Lyndsay Duthie, has urged Nigerian policymakers to act with urgency in developing the country’s creative economy, stressing that the opportunity is no longer in the future but in the present.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) headquarters in Abuja, Prof. Duthie, a veteran television producer with credits spanning the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, said Nigeria’s youthful energy and cultural talent make it a potential global powerhouse if properly harnessed.

“The creative economy is not tomorrow’s opportunity – it is today’s,” she declared, drawing from Britain’s experience where the creative industries contributed £124.6bn to the UK economy in 2022.

According to a statement by the Director, Media and Strategic Communications of NGF, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, Prof. Duthie, who had days earlier delivered a keynote at the National Council for Arts and Culture’s Creative Economy Summit in Enugu, argued that culture plus creativity translates into economic power.

She stressed that nations worldwide now deploy “soft power” through art, film, and music to influence perceptions and drive exports.

On his part, Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, described the partnership with the NGF and UCA as groundbreaking.

“We are delighted to build this initiative with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, bringing our partnership with the University for the Creative Arts into state-level engagement. It will drive capacity building, skills development and global opportunities for Nigerians beginning with the subnationals,” Asika said.

Welcoming the UCA delegation, NGF Director-General, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, described the engagement as both timely and significant, adding that governors are committed to building the creative sector as a tool for diversification and youth empowerment.

“Your visit is both timely and significant as Nigeria positions the creative economy as a central pillar of economic diversification and youth empowerment,” Shittu said.

He explained that the NGF is working with the NCAC and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy to strengthen cultural infrastructure, expand skills training and integrate creative enterprise into state-level strategies.

According to him, Nigeria’s talents already project the nation’s cultural influence globally, but sustained investment and international partnerships are needed to scale impact.

“With structured investment, capacity-building and global collaborations, this potential can be transformed into sustainable prosperity,” he said.

Shittu assured Prof. Duthie of the NGF’s readiness to partner with UCA on knowledge exchange and talent development.

“Building institutional partnerships with globally recognised institutions such as yours will significantly accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s creative economy,” he affirmed.

The visit, he noted, was more than symbolic but a step toward aligning state-level ambition with global expertise.