The Nigerian creative industry set to receive a boost from Nigeria-US partnership

The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce has announced a collaboration between the country and the United States, with the aim of boosting the efforts of people engaged in music, visual and performing arts, design, writing, broadcasting, fashion, advertising, and film-making. The collaboration was announced by Dr. Ikenna Nwosu, Chairman, Government and International Liaison Committee, Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), during a breakfast meeting tagged, “Promoting creativity in the contemporary Nigerian talent industry: The challenge of sustainable intellectual property protection.”

The collaboration is expected to help safeguard the intellectual properties of those engaged in the creative industry by ensuring adequate monitoring and tightening of regulations for maximum yields.

Whereas piracy has been the bane of the creative industry, the new collaboration between Nigeria and the United States will install a blue-print that can be followed by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to arrest incessant crimes perpetrated by those who make money from others’ creative ingenuity. Although the commission recently reported seizure of about 20 containers of pirated books, music content, and art works, in addition to the removal of over 9 million assorted works worth N9.5 billion, creative enterprises are yet to live up to its potential in Nigeria.

Highlighting the importance of tight regulations, Dr. Nwosu said, apart from ensuring that Nigerian intellectual property owners are protected from intellectual theft, the collaboration between the chambers of commerce and the copyright commission will also help secure American businesses in Nigeria.

The creative industry has seen massive growth in the past 2 decades. The sector engaged in film-making is the most prosperous of all. It has been witnessing some 9% year-on-year growth since 2016. By 2021, the sector is projected to contribute not less than $73 million to the Nigerian economy. As Nigeria seeks ways to diversify its economy, the sector is one of many that should be harnessed.