Nigeria and the European Union have entered into a €20 million (Twenty Million Euro) partnership aimed at revitalizing the country’s cultural and creative sectors, with a strong focus on supporting museums, film festivals, and digital creative industries.
The landmark agreement was announced on Thursday during a courtesy visit by a high-level EU delegation, led by Ambassador Gautier Mignot, Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, to Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, in Abuja.
In an official statement released by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, the partnership was described as part of a broader strategic effort to leverage Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage as an engine for economic growth, job creation, and national unity.
“Nigeria and the European Union have agreed on a €20 million initiative to strengthen partnerships between museums, support film festivals, and boost digital creative industries,” the statement read.
Promoting unity through culture
As part of the initiative, Minister Musawa unveiled plans to produce a “Unity Song” featuring some of Nigeria’s top music talents. According to her, the song aims to foster national cohesion and address security challenges by using the universal language of music to inspire unity and collective pride.
Focus on strategic growth
The statement further revealed plans for an upcoming Creative Economy Summit, designed to bring together leading stakeholders across Nigeria’s arts and creative industries. The summit will focus on fostering strategic alignment, encouraging investment, and avoiding duplication of initiatives that have historically slowed growth in the sector.
Musawa underscored the critical role of data in shaping effective cultural policies, noting that comprehensive cultural data mapping would be crucial to guide targeted interventions, track impact, and ensure optimal resource allocation within Nigeria’s creative economy.
Deepening EU-Nigeria collaboration
During the meeting, both parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting capacity building, advancing digital skills development, supporting cultural infrastructure, and expanding employment opportunities for Nigerian youth.
Ambassador Mignot emphasized that future collaborative cultural projects would be guided by international best practices, while remaining carefully tailored to Nigeria’s distinct cultural identity and socioeconomic realities.
This move reflects a growing recognition of the economic potential of Nigeria’s creative industries. According to PwC, Nigeria’s entertainment and media market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1%, making it one of the fastest-growing markets globally.
What this means for Nigeria
The €20 million investment is expected to act as a catalyst for significant transformation in the sector, empowering creative professionals, modernizing infrastructure, and fostering global cultural exchanges that can open new economic opportunities.
By bridging gaps in funding and capacity, the initiative also aims to showcase Nigeria’s arts and cultural heritage more prominently on the global stage, further strengthening the country’s soft power and creative exports.
