Oredola Adeola

The Creative Economy Week 2025, held in Enugu State, brought together stakeholders to collaborate, endorse, and showcase opportunities within Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries aimed at driving youth socio-economic development.

Through the platform provided by the British Council in partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy (FMACTCE) and other key stakeholders, Nigerian youth are enabled to showcase their talents in various forms—visual and performing arts, film, music, fashion design, among other forms of creativity.

The Creative Economy Week is a week-long event aimed at highlighting the immense potential of Nigeria’s youth within the creative and cultural industries.

Some activities of the week are also taking place in Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, Lagos, and London.

Speaking on the activities in Enugu, the Head of Arts at the British Council Nigeria, Harry Kesiena, said: “For us at the British Council, the Creative Economy Week Nigeria is a platform created to spotlight Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries, share opportunities, and present the United Kingdom’s expertise in the Nigerian creative sector while giving young creatives a platform to grow.

“There were numerous highlights and a multitude of outcomes from Enugu.

“More importantly, activities in Enugu were made possible through a partnership with the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC), led by the Director-General, Obi Asika.

“Enugu was of particular interest to us because of the number of young people based in the state. It is one of the focus states in eastern Nigeria,” Kesiena explained.

According to Harry Kesiena, the Creative Economy Week Nigeria 2025 is a significant leap from 2023, when it started.

“It is expected to showcase the brilliance of Nigerian creatives both in Nigeria and globally and the potential that the Nigerian creative sector has to offer the world.

The Culture and Creative Economy Summit in Enugu, held on September 9, 2025, brought together various Commissioners of Arts and Culture from different states.

The summit allowed the British Council to present the activities of the Creative Economy Week to representatives from various states in Nigeria.

The occasion enabled the British Council to share its model of partnerships, demonstrate how it is building the capacity of young people in Nigeria, and identify areas for collaboration with these states.