AANI MOBILISES SUPPORT FOR NIPSS NATIONAL CREATIVE ECONOMY SUMMIT

The President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute, Ambassador Emmanuel Obi Okafor, has pledged the association’s support for the forthcoming National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy.

Okafor made the commitment in Abuja when he received the organising committee of the summit, led by former Minister of Information and Culture and Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud, Lai Mohammed.

He said AANI would use its extensive network across Nigeria’s public and private sectors to mobilise support for the successful hosting of the event, which is scheduled to take place from October 6 to 8, 2026, at the National Theatre in Lagos.

The AANI president described the Orange Economy, also known as the Creative Economy, as a strategic area with enormous potential to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic development.

According to him, Nigeria is richly endowed with creative talents, with sectors such as music, film, football and literature demonstrating the country’s capacity to compete globally.

However, Okafor noted that the creative sector had not received sufficient policy attention, investment and infrastructure to fully realise its economic potential.

He disclosed that Set 48 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies had been tasked with researching the Orange Economy and examining international best practices that could be adopted to strengthen Nigeria’s creative industries.

Okafor said available data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the creative sector currently contributes about 5.2 per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, while the Federal Government is targeting a 10 per cent contribution by 2031.

He stressed that achieving the target would require stronger collaboration among government institutions, private investors, creative professionals and other stakeholders within the industry.

The summit is expected to provide a platform for discussions on the challenges facing Nigeria’s creative economy, while also exploring investment opportunities, policy reforms and strategies for developing the sector.

AANI’s decision to support the initiative is expected to widen stakeholder participation and strengthen efforts to position the creative economy as an important driver of employment, innovation and national development.

The organisers are expected to use the October summit to showcase Nigeria’s creative potential and examine practical ways of transforming the country’s large pool of talent into sustainable economic opportunities.