{"id":27316,"date":"2025-03-24T10:47:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T10:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/?p=27316"},"modified":"2025-03-24T10:48:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T10:48:36","slug":"nigeria-moves-to-finalize-national-cultural-policy-after-37-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/2025\/03\/24\/nigeria-moves-to-finalize-national-cultural-policy-after-37-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria Moves to Finalize National Cultural Policy After 37 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy has taken a decisive step toward finalizing Nigeria\u2019s National Policy on Culture<\/strong>, launching a Physical Drafting Exercise<\/strong> in partnership with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)<\/strong> and UNESCO<\/strong>. This initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s<\/strong> Renewed Hope Agenda<\/em>, reflecting his administration\u2019s commitment to strengthening the nation\u2019s cultural sector.<\/p>\n

The National Policy on Culture<\/strong>, last reviewed in 1988, has remained in draft form for nearly four decades<\/strong>, despite its critical role in guiding Nigeria\u2019s cultural and creative industries<\/strong>. Recognizing the urgency for reform, the Honourable Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq.<\/strong>, initiated a comprehensive review to ensure Nigeria\u2019s cultural framework meets global standards<\/strong> and reflects the rapid evolution of the creative economy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Long-Awaited Policy Overhaul<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The journey to update Nigeria\u2019s cultural policy<\/strong> began in July 2024<\/strong>, when the Minister inaugurated a Cultural Policy Drafting Committee<\/strong>\u2014a 100-member<\/strong> team tasked with researching, developing, and refining the policy\u2019s framework. After completing a virtual drafting process<\/strong> in December 2024, the Ministry moved to the current physical drafting exercise<\/strong>, consolidating the final document for stakeholder validation<\/strong> before its submission to the Federal Executive Council (FEC)<\/strong> for approval.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Ugochi Akudo-Nwosu<\/strong>, Director of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Department<\/strong>, emphasized the significance of this review:<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe National Policy on Culture provides the legal framework for preserving, promoting, and developing Nigeria\u2019s cultural heritage. This update will reflect contemporary trends, particularly the shift from a creative industry<\/em> to a creative economy<\/em>. Through this exercise, we are setting the stage for Nigeria to assert its cultural identity on the global stage<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking on behalf of NESG, Dr. Ikenna Nwosu<\/strong> highlighted the urgent need for reform:<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor 37 years<\/strong>, this policy remained stagnant, while the creative and cultural sectors evolved at an unprecedented pace. Ideally, such policies should be reviewed every 5 to 10 years<\/strong>. What we are witnessing today is a long-overdue correction. This process will align governance with the economic potential of Nigeria\u2019s cultural sector<\/strong>. The Honourable Minister\u2019s leadership in driving this review is highly commendable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

UNESCO\u2019s Role in Cultural Policy Reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n

UNESCO has played a crucial role in supporting the review process, ensuring its alignment with international cultural governance standards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Speaking on UNESCO\u2019s involvement, Mr. Ifeanyi Ajaegbo<\/strong>, a UNESCO representative, reaffirmed the organization\u2019s commitment:<\/p>\n

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\u201cUNESCO fully supports Nigeria\u2019s efforts to update its National Policy on Culture<\/strong>. This policy aligns with our 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions<\/strong>, which ensures fair access to cultural goods and services<\/strong>. By strengthening cultural governance, Nigeria will create a more structured, inclusive, and globally competitive creative economy<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Strengthening Nigeria\u2019s Creative Economy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Ministry\u2019s collaboration with NESG<\/strong> has ensured an inclusive<\/strong> and technically sound<\/strong> review process. Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)<\/strong> signed in 2024, NESG has provided research, technical expertise, and stakeholder engagement strategies<\/strong> to ensure the new policy meets both national and international benchmarks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, UNESCO has conducted training sessions, workshops, and expert consultations<\/strong>, equipping Ministry staff with global best practices<\/strong> for fostering cultural sustainability and economic growth.<\/p>\n

Next Steps: Validation and Approval<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Physical Drafting Exercise<\/strong>, taking place from March 20\u201324, 2025, at Blue Spring Hotel, Abuja<\/strong>, marks the final stage before the Stakeholder Engagement and Validation Exercise<\/strong>. Once validated, the policy will be submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC)<\/strong> for final approval.<\/p>\n

With this milestone, the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy<\/strong> is taking a bold step toward repositioning Nigeria\u2019s cultural sector<\/strong>. Beyond preserving heritage<\/strong>, the policy aims to drive economic growth<\/strong>, create employment opportunities<\/strong>, and position Nigeria as a leader in the global creative industry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy has taken a decisive step toward finalizing Nigeria\u2019s National Policy on Culture, launching a Physical Drafting Exercise in partnership with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and UNESCO. This initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s Renewed Hope Agenda, reflecting his administration\u2019s commitment to strengthening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[302,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}