The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy have forged a strategic partnership aimed at unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s creative (orange) economy to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s target of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The partnership was sealed following a courtesy visit by a NIPSS delegation led by the Institute’s Director-General, Professor Ayo Omotayo, to the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, in Abuja.
Discussions centred on collaboration for the forthcoming National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy, which is being organised by NIPSS. The summit is designed to develop practical strategies for harnessing the creative industries as a major driver of national economic growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Professor Omotayo stated that NIPSS has deliberately aligned its research and policy work with the President’s economic vision. “For the National Institute, we have bonded ourselves to the agenda of Mr President, in which he wants Nigeria to reach a trillion-dollar economy by 2030. Back then in 2023, we looked at different sectors of our economy and we chose areas where evidence has shown that we can actually reach the $1 trillion economy if we plan very well. So for the Institute, this is the last of the sectors that we believe that we can find enough leverage and push to get Nigeria to the one trillion dollar economy,” he said.
Citing NIPSS research, the Director-General noted that Nigeria’s creative sector currently has the capacity to contribute approximately $250 billion to the economy, with the potential to grow to $450 billion when fully harnessed through proper planning, investment, and policy support. He emphasised that arts, culture, tourism, and related creative activities touch every aspect of national life and therefore offer unique leverage for inclusive growth.
Minister Hannatu Musawa welcomed the partnership and reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to repositioning the arts, culture, tourism, and creative economy as a central engine of economic transformation. “When the President speaks about trying to increase the GDP to $1 trillion, we believe that this ministry and this industry have the potential of really adding to that,” she stated.
Former Minister of Information and Culture and Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud (the consulting firm supporting the summit), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described the creative industry as “Nigeria’s next oil.” He highlighted that the sector is already the second-largest employer of labour in the country after agriculture and possesses enormous untapped opportunities for job creation, export earnings, and soft-power projection.
The National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy is expected to bring together policymakers, industry practitioners, investors, researchers, and other stakeholders to map actionable pathways for scaling the creative sector’s contribution to national GDP, employment, and global competitiveness.
Both institutions expressed confidence that sustained collaboration between policy research institutions and the creative economy ministry will accelerate Nigeria’s progress toward the $1 trillion economic milestone while generating millions of jobs for young Nigerians and amplifying the country’s cultural influence worldwide.