The Nigerian creative economy is becoming increasingly robust. It has grown to the point where it employs over four million Nigerian kids who would otherwise be unemployed.
According to statistics, the creative economy employs 4.2 million Nigerians and is expected to add 2.7 million more by 2025.
According to Jobberman’s analysis, the creative sector is the country’s second-largest employer, with the potential to add 2.7 million jobs by 2025.
According to the report, the creative economy accounts for more than 6.1 percent of global GDP, with an average of 2% to 7% of national GDPs globally.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the entertainment business contributes 1.45% of Nigeria’s GDP.
And now, in order to encourage more contributions from Nigerian content creators to the economy while also attracting more youth to reduce unemployment, the federal government has been encouraged to increase investment in the sector.
The creator economy is a subset of a larger microcosm known as the gig economy. It includes side hustles and independent enterprises started by content creators, social media influencers, bloggers, and videographers.
While speaking at their gathering in Lagos at the ‘Homecoming’ event, which was held to amplify the activities of the creators, one of the event’s sponsors, AMAKA Studio, advised that the federal government, FG, can collaborate with private institutions that are into content creation in order to reach more creators and contribute more to the nation’s economy.
Amaka Studio is a social publishing platform that helps Pan-African creators amplify and monetize their content.
In an interview with Adaora Oramah, CEO and Founder of AMAKA Studios, to encourage more jobs for Nigeria’s youth.
Orumah said: “Obviously, young people are the future to this country and they’re obviously very actively engaged in the creative space.
“So I think, investment in this space means job creation. Government need to partner more with private institutions who are in this space to have a better understanding of how to reach young people.”
Oramah noted that the government needs to preserve the local talents.
“We need government institutions to have more regulations, to preserve local talent. Sometimes, a lot of people go abroad to commission talent, but we need to have more homegrown talent. I know they’ve introduced that recently with modeling as well.
Government needs to do a better job of protecting people’s creativity, making sure they have more opportunities, and also prioritizing local talent over those abroad,“ she added.
Speaking on Amaka Studio, Orumah said:
“AMAKA Studio gives a lot of autonomy to its creators, providing them with a space that centres African stories and allows for them to monetise their creativity.
“They can leverage the platform to forge their own relationships, build their influence, and create strong connections which will help them grow and flourish. Since its inception, AMAKA Studio has prioritised providing African creators with digital tools for content creation and the infrastructure for monetisation.
“We are always asking how we can leverage this platform to ensure there are increased growth opportunities for African creators on the continent.
“We are invested in supporting and growing talent from Africa, allowing them to feel empowered to share their stories. They are given a space to bring these to life and the opportunity to monetise their voices which is so important considering the economic challenges and disadvantages that have faced Africans across and beyond the continent.” she added.
Over the past three years, the AMAKA Studio story has itself evolved to become a diverse and engaging space within which creators and brands have thrived. Moving forward, the platform will be expanding to allow creators and brands to establish direct working relationships and to enjoy a variety of automated and intelligent tools. Driven by social content creation, the platform will continue to focus on job creation and opportunities for African content creators who have been routinely excluded in the past.
“We are bridging the gap, rebuilding financial tools, and providing services that allow content creators and creatives to access jobs and financing, expand networks and so much more,” concludes Oramah. “We are expanding what we can do with the platform and what creators can do within the platform to encourage financial growth and personal financial security.” concludes Oramah.
