Through strategic alliances with business and global partnerships, the Federal Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy (FMACCE) hopes to generate two million new employment. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), Tax incentives, and investments are all part of the aim to increase employment creation in the creative sector. African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCTA) prospects to grow in the $3.4 billion African creative sector were emphasized by Minister Hannatu Musawa. These included strategic investments, collaborations, and synergies.
Investing in human capital, formalizing the informal sector, exploiting economic pivots, monetizing cultural assets, and improving Infrastructure are the main priorities of the plan. To promote the expansion of cultural and creative programs in higher education, the FMACCE has established agreements with organizations, such as the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigeria, and collaborations through the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC). Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and noteworthy MoU aim to promote cultural interactions as a means of advancing the sector’s growth.
A number of obstacles must be overcome to reach the 2M employment goal.
Also, FMACCE’s job development plan makes use of proven methods, including the Nigerian Creative Industry Partnership with Netflix, which has invested millions of dollars in the creation of local content and consequently increased employment prospects in the area. Another instance is the partnership with YouTube to educate and enable content producers throughout Africa, enhancing their proficiency in digital media and generating thousands of employment opportunities in the online domain. In addition, FMACCE’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Committee of Vice Chancellors and the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) intends to improve the talent Pipeline by integrating creative Economy programs into higher education.
It is anticipated that the agreement with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi will support cultural exchange programs, which may result in a rise in travel, the sharing of skills, and investments in Nigeria’s cultural industry. A number of obstacles must be overcome in order to reach the 2 million employment goal, including the unorganized character of a large portion of the creative industry, poor infrastructure, and restricted access to funding. Because of the industry’s strong reliance on unofficial labour, it is challenging to track job creation data and to legalize employment.
The targeted job creation project will bring in $1bn in income yearly.
Concerns exist over Intellectual property (IP) protection, the regulatory environment, and the requirement for revised regulations to keep up with the rapidly changing digital ecosystem. FMACCE estimates that through higher Productivity and investments in the creative industry, the targeted job creation project will bring in about $1 billion in income yearly. Timelines for creating jobs are divided into phases. The first phase, which involves partnering with the Private Sector and offering skill development programs, aims to create 500,000 jobs in the first year. The next four years will see progressively more jobs created.
To accomplish these challenging objectives, industry leaders stress the significance of sustainable Investment and legislative support. “To reach the 2 million jobs target, there must be a consistent and reliable framework that supports both big and small players in the creative economy,” stated Kene Okwuosa, CEO of Film House Cinemas. Public-private collaborations are essential, but we also require supportive laws that uphold the rights of creators and promote the creation of local content. The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has also emphasized the potential of creative economies, saying that “initiatives like the ones led by FMACCE are crucial in unlocking its full potential, especially when combined with frameworks like the AFCTA.” Africa’s creative industry is an untapped goldmine.
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Additionally, MoUs on content exchange, direct investment, and capacity building have been inked by the FMACCE. Through training initiatives, collaborative film projects, and art exhibitions that present Nigerian culture on global stages, the collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism is expected to improve knowledge transfer. In the creative markets of the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria, this collaboration is anticipated to create new employment opportunities and sources of income. An estimated 100,000 students are expected to gain from the formalization and expansion of creative industry training programs in Nigerian institutions, which is another goal of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Committee of Vice Chancellors. The partnership is expected to close skill gaps and bring in a consistent stream of talent for the sector.