FG partners WTO, CNN to boost creative industry

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed at the Creative Industry Roundtable held on Monday in Lagos, that the Federal Government has struck a global tripartite partnership with UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the global news leader, CNN to boost the nation’s creative industry.

The minister, while declaring the round table opened, said that the partnership would give the nation’s creative industry a big boost. He said under the partnership, his Ministry, UNWTO and CNN would use the film industry as a lens to project various aspects of the Nigerian culture, tourism and similar areas. He said they would kick start the project with a 13-episode production showcasing the various stages in movie production.

“The productions include the choice of location, which will allow us to showcase the various beautiful sceneries available in Nigeria. It will showcase the choice of wardrobe to show the rich options in the country’s fashion industry and the choice of sound track that will highlight our rich music genres

“The casting will showcase our abundant talents and the technical part will provide the platform to show that there is no camera and other gadgets that we don’t have here,” he said. The minister said that, as part of the project, his ministry would run a programme on CNN showcasing the 20 Nigerians to watch in the creative industry. He said the Nigerians to be showcased would be selected by the industry players to ensure authenticity. Mohammed reiterated government’s position to transform the creative industry to “Nigeria’s new oil”. “This is an empirical statement, rather than a mere jive and the experience from other lands confirms this,” he said.