Use Culture As Economic Power, Governor Mbah Urges Nigerians

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has asked Nigerians to alteration the country’s taste wealthiness into economical power, make millions of jobs and thrust sustainable growth.

Opening a three-day Culture and Creative Economy Summit astatine the Landmark Nike Resort, Enugu, connected Tuesday, the governor, represented by the caput to the authorities government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the originative system indispensable beryllium seen arsenic cardinal to Nigeria’s future.

“Enugu State is arrogant to basal with the Federal Government successful this vision. We are acceptable to supply platforms, infrastructure, and partnerships that volition unlock the existent imaginable of Nigeria’s originative sector, from Nollywood to Afrobeat, practice to tourism, and integer innovation. The connection is wide that the originative system is not conscionable entertainment; it is Nigeria’s bluish economy,” Mbah said.

He reminded participants that his medication had acceptable a people of increasing Enugu’s system from $4.4 cardinal to $30 cardinal by 2030, stressing that each assemblage indispensable lend to achieving the vision.

He urged the backstage sector, taste custodians, and young radical to “create the bequest of a Nigeria wherever our civilization is celebrated, our creativity rewarded, and our system transformed.”

Governor Mbah further announced that Enugu would big the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) successful November 2025, assuring that the authorities had already invested successful the infrastructure needed for a palmy outing.

“It volition beryllium an ecosystem of economical activities. Enugu is unfastened for business,” helium stressed.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Lyndsay Duthie of the University of Creative Arts, United Kingdom, said that creating wealthiness done civilization requires collaboration, innovation, and technology.

“Culture and creativity adjacent economical power,” she said, adding that Nigeria has 1 of the strongest opportunities to physique a competitory originative system if authorities policies, infrastructure, and incentives are aligned.

She stressed that beyond colonisation advantage, Nigeria indispensable make skills, put successful education, and supply incentives to assistance talents thrive. According to her, funding, infrastructure, and world-class creativity should signifier the strategical pillars of the country’s originative growth.

The Director General of the National Council of Arts and Culture, Obi Asika, described the originative system arsenic a viable way to nationalist prosperity, noting that the acme brought unneurotic commissioners, imperishable secretaries, and civilization directors to brainstorm connected unlocking opportunities successful the sector.

“As a country, we tin execute a $100 cardinal originative system by 2030 and $250 cardinal by 2035 if we put deliberately successful the process,” Asika said.

He besides commended Enugu arsenic a suitable big for NAFEST 2025, adding, “Enugu is simply a large spot to big NAFEST. The infrastructure is there, and civilization has ever been here.”

Earlier successful her invited address, the Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, expressed delight that Enugu was hosting the acme and described it arsenic a historical infinitesimal for Nigeria’s originative industry.

She said the theme, “Monetising Culture and Creative Industries astatine the Sub-National Level,” was timely. She added that civilization and creativity crossed the state are much than amusement due to the fact that they correspond wealth, jobs, and opportunities waiting to beryllium unlocked.

“Here successful Enugu, we are already taking bold steps – processing our eco-tourism sites, investing successful movie and music, preparing to big NAFEST 2025, and gathering platforms wherever civilization meets commerce,” she said, portion urging participants to articulation hands successful gathering a stronger and agreed originative system for Nigeria.

The acme drew the attendance of Commissioners successful complaint of Culture and Creative Economy, directors of national and authorities ministries, departments, and agencies from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and national agencies liable for arts and culture, among others.