British Council Holds Creative Economy Week in Abuja
By Ujunwa Eunice Nwankwo
In an event held by the British Council in Nigeria to commemorate the creative economy week Nigeria 2025 with the theme “Building the future through creativity” and supported by Federal Ministry of Arts,Culture,Tourism and Creative Economy. It is an event cut across different locations in Nigeria- Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.
The event which kicked off in Abuja attracted Key decision- makers from the government, diplomatic corps, national and international NGOs, civil society, the private sector and most importantly the Nigerian youths. They converged at the Thought Pyramid Art centre in Abuja to reflect on the need for creative economy.
In a master class session titled “Negotiation For Creatives”, the speaker Mr Onye Ubanatu of Alterverse Media emphasized on the importance of negotiation in every sphere of life.
He stated that an individual’s power of negotiation can open doors for opportunities which is way beyond his/her expectations.
He added that creativity is what begot self worth and need- know your worth, learn to say No in some cases, set your standard and boldly stand by it, your words, your dress sense, your strategy makes you stand out in your negotiation.
In an interview, he said great incomes can come out in quadruple when creatives learn how to use their negotiation power in creative economy as there are multiple gains in being creative.
Also, the CEO of Penzaarville Mr Olufemi Oguntamu who spoke on another master class – Brand Strategy and Positioning for creatives told the participants the strategy employed plus the right positioning causes a massive boost in any brand.
If your brand strategy is not uniquely and creatively drafted with its bold explicit solution based approach it may attract people but may not sustain the people involved which is why positioning oneself strategically in creativity is essential for growth in creative economy.
Different sessions in creative economy was held like the business of film & TV by Prof.Lindsay Duthie of the University of Creative Arts,Business of Photography by Kola Oshalusi of Business of Photography Networks,
The Art of Performance by Dr. Funmi Adewole of De Montfort University,UK, Designing Profits(fashion) by Ugonna Nwaka of UK alumni LCF/UAL. The participants where taught on different varieties of creative economy and showed their satisfaction in the knowledge passed in the course of this educative and knowledge- based event.
The speakers jointly agreed on the importance of creative economy and urged Nigerians to embrace its vast benefits and expertise. It is designed as a platform to showcase Nigeria’s creative potential while highlighting the role of arts and culture in driving inclusive growth, youth empowerment, and global exchange.
