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Promoting Job, Wealth Creation Via Creative Industry

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By most accounts, creative industry refers to a range of economic activities that are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information.

It is a broad domain in which activities related to creative works’ design or production are carried out. Etymologists, however, maintain that term creative industry is synonymous with entertainment industry.

David Parrish, a creative industry management consultant, describes creative industry as “business with creativity’’.

Creative industry, according to him, comprises design, music, publishing, architecture, film and video, crafts, visual arts, fashion, television and radio services, advertising, literature, computer games as well as performing arts.

However, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) describes the “creative economy’’ as an emerging concept, which deals with the interface between creativity, culture, economics and technology in a contemporary world dominated by images, sounds, texts and symbols.

UNCTAD adopted a pragmatic approach in promoting creativity and innovation in Africa in 2008 when it organised a conference on the subject in Accra, Ghana, on April 2008.

The UNCTAD report on the status of the world’s creative industry affirms that the creative industry is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy that is capable of creating jobs and wealth for the people.

It states that the sector provides new opportunities for developing countries to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.

Moreover, the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sports says that creative industry originates from the people’s creativity, skills and talents, which all have the potential for creating wealth and jobs via the exploitation of the intellectual property.

These enlightened opinions tend to reinforce existing viewpoints that a well-harnessed creative industry has the potential of kick-starting the economic growth of many countries and empowering millions of people across the world.

Industry experts insist that there is no ceiling in efforts to harness the potential of the creative industry of any nation.

Nevertheless, Mr Afam Ezekude, the Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), said that the intrinsic qualities of Nigeria’s creative industry could only be harnessed if the stakeholders resolved to do the right things in the right way.

In his remarks at the National Creativity Day Celebration in Abuja in April, Ezekude stressed that the NCC was carrying out a comprehensive study of the country’s creative industry so as to ascertain the exact worth of the sector in terms of job creation.

He noted that the preliminary findings of the study indicated that the film sector alone was capable of contributing N45 billion to the national economy if the potential of the sector was properly harnessed.

“There are strong indications that the projected N1 trillion-per-annum revenue from the sector could be exceeded.

“We are working in concert with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in the study to ascertain the value of the creative industry in our economy.

“From our preliminary findings, however, the film sector can contribute N45 billion to the economy, the software sector can contribute N250 billion; publishing sector, N100 billion; music, N80 billion; broadcasting, N25 billion; advertising, N20 billion, while ICT, textiles and jewellery can contribute N100 billion.

“This, in essence, means that the sector currently contributes less than 5 per cent of the projected sum to the nation’s economy,’’ he said.

“Therefore, it can aptly be deduced that the creative industry holds the key to the transformation of the economies of developed and developing countries of the world,’’ he added.

Ezekude, nonetheless, voiced concern about some factors that were hindering the growth of the creative sector; saying that the copyright laws of many developed and developing countries were weak, inefficient or non-existent in some cases.

“In Nigeria, for instance, the framework for the regulation and protection of intellectual property is weak and I have, on different occasions, drawn the stakeholders’ attention to this defect.

“The existing laws are not stringent enough to deter pirates from infringing on the rights of copyright owners in the country; there is the need to strengthen the laws.

“For example, N250, 000 is the highest fine ever imposed by a court in a single copyright infringement case in the history of the commission’s prosecution efforts.

“Other punishments, depending on the charges, attracted at most, six months jail for a copyright infringement and these penalties are too weak to deter potential bandits from perpetrating product piracy or counterfeiting,’’ he said.

Besides, Ezekude emphasised that the lack of prioritisation of copyright matters in Nigeria’s national development plans was another major factor inhibiting the development of the creative sector.

He conceded that the factor particularly contributed to problems such as limited financial and infrastructure resources, manpower constraints and inadequate public awareness.

“The uncooperative attitude of some stakeholders; slow judicial processes and weak border controls to check importation of pirated works were some of the factors hindering the growth of the creative industry,’’ he said.

Ezekude stressed that the existence of more than 15 product-replicating plants across the country underscored the need to urgently put in place an effective protection framework.

However, many stakeholders believe that Nigeria can derive a lot of economic benefits from the creative sector with the legendary exploits of writers such as Prof. Wole Soyinka and Prof. Chinua Achebe in the literary world.

They, however, bemoan the fact that the rich resources of the country’s film and music industry, pottery and earthenware as well as arts and crafts are not fully utilised for national development.

Mrs Clarah Dapira, an expert in creativity and rural development, said that many developing countries such as Thailand had adopted the creative industry as an alternative means of eliminating poverty at the grassroots.

She said that Thailand got the idea from Japan, as the Japanese government initiated the poverty eradication strategy in 1979.

“The approach is being replicated by many Asian countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. Some African countries such as Malawi and Ethiopia have also adopted the strategy,’’ she said.

All the same, Ezekude said that Nigeria could develop and maximise the potential of its creative sector if an effective protection and regulatory framework was put in place to protect creative works from unauthorised users.

He stressed that efforts should be made to foster the growth of the country’s creative industry via purposeful legislation which would give the regulatory authorities the powers to curtail the aberrant activities of pirates.

Ezekude also underscored the need for more efficient and speedy judicial process in Nigeria, while ensuring stricter border controls to stem the importation of pirated works.

However, Mr Mike Akpa, NCC’s Director of Legal Services, said that the commission was making extra efforts to check piracy and stamp out imports of pirated products.

He said that apart from its periodic anti-piracy raids, the commission had also signed an agreement with an ICT company as part of plans to stimulate increased creativity in the industry.

Akpa noted that under the agreement, patent owners of creative works would now earn some money for the use of their works.

He assured all the stakeholders that the NCC would strive to protect the copyrights of inventors of creative works, in line with its zero-tolerance on piracy.

Akpa, nonetheless, stressed that the interests of all the copyright owners of creative works in the country were being promoted by the NCC via effective and decisive measures.

He said that the measures included the Copyright Notification Scheme, which was introduced to allow authors to have credible evidence of their copyrights.

Akpa, however, stressed the need to stimulate the citizens’ participation in programmes aimed at promoting the growth of the creative industry via pragmatic public awareness campaigns

He also urged all the stakeholders to work as a team in ongoing efforts to harness the potential of the creative industry for wealth creation.

Zoho writes for NAN

 

Jude Zoho

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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