The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Oze Inc, Dare to Innovate and IGA Nigeria Ltd to strengthen Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across Nigeria’s creative, cultural and tourism sectors.
The agreement, signed under a consortium framework led by the ministry, establishes a structured pathway for engagement with the African Development Bank through an Economic Sector Work initiative focused on MSME resilience, financial inclusion and digital capacity development within the Orange Economy.
The initiative is expected to unlock development financing, generate credible sector data and support scalable programmes aimed at improving productivity and sustainability for creative businesses nationwide.
The ministry said the partnership reflects the commitment of the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, to public-private collaboration as a governance approach aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the areas of youth empowerment, innovation, inclusive growth and economic diversification.
It added that Nigeria’s growing global creative influence, highlighted by the international recognition of Nigerian-British designer Tokyo James at Milan Fashion Week, demonstrates the sector’s potential when supported by strong policy frameworks and institutional backing.
The MOU is intended to ensure such global exposure translates into measurable economic value for Nigerian creatives and strengthens local value chains.
Speaking on the development, the minister said the creative sector has long shown resilience and excellence driven largely by individual effort, noting that government intervention will now focus on institutionalising success through policy leadership, improved access to financing and evidence-based programmes that deliver measurable outcomes.
According to the ministry, the Economic Sector Work under the partnership will provide data-driven insights to guide policy reforms, strengthen investor confidence and position Nigeria as a priority destination for creative economy financing, while also improving coordination across creative value chains.
The ministry said the collaboration underscores its resolve to transform creativity into structured productivity and position Nigeria’s creative industries as resilient, investment-ready and globally competitive contributors to national development.
