MINISTER of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa has called on entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the creative sector to invest in the development of the Abuja Creative City (ACC).
Musawa made the call at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ministry and Creative Park Limited on Thursday in Abuja.
This newspaper reports that the collaborative MoU is aimed at developing the ACC as an entertainment, culture and creative hub and as well create jobs for teeming Nigerian youths.
According to Musawa, who signed on behalf of the Federal Government, the ACC is a visionary project designed to position Nigeria as Africa’s leading hub for innovation, media, culture, and entertainment.
The minister said some of the benefits for investors seeking to take advantage of investing in the creative city project include tax incentives for a specified period.
She said the project is scheduled for five-year completion, adding that there are plans to introduce reduced rates for water, electricity, and other utilities in the setting up of the initial phase of the project.
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“This is a great project by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy in support of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This is conceived to give the young people of Nigeria something that has never happened; bringing economic, cultural tourist expansion in a way Nigeria has never seen.
“It is an ecosystem system where we have the ability to grow the creative industry, and for me, today is a day that I’m extremely proud of, as one of the greatest honours of my life is being a Nigerian.
“For the rest of my life, I will be happy for this day, because I can see the vision and mission of President Bola Tinubu is coming into fruition.
“The president’s vision is not about just building the creative industry; his vision is about empowering future generations.
“I urge our investors and creative entrepreneurs to come and be part of this historic project for sustainable economic development”, she said.
Musawa said the city is designed to be a celebration of Nigeria’s history, showcasing arts, music, film and many more creative expressions while making it Africa’s cultural flagship centre.
According to the minister, the creative city will offer world-class recreational facilities like theatres and cinema with a view to creating more opportunities for Nigerian creative and boost economic activities in Abuja.
She explained that other incentives for investors include the streamlining of business registration, licensing, and operations processes, aimed at making the city an attractive destination for global enterprises.
In his remarks, Mr. Bayo Omoboriowo, Managing Director of Creative Park Limited, lauded the minister for her initiative to drive the ACC as a Public-Private Partnership.(PPP) project.
He said the creative city, spanning 50 hectares of land, would offer world-class infrastructure, as obtainable in global creative hubs like the NEOM in Saudi Arabia, Dubai Media City, and Techhub in London.
“One thing that dawned on me is that Nigeria is no longer the country that should be taken for granted, for this is the future, and the future is now
“This initiative goes beyond infrastructure; it is about the Nigerian people, a people who have great potential inside of them, and a people who until now, their hearts and trust have been looted.
“We are now talking about repatriation, and it goes beyond repatriation, we are asking for tomorrow.
“We are creating an ecosystem that can attract people to come here to accelerate their vision, get the funding from both private and public sectors to build the Nigeria we really need.
“We can no longer leave our talents as raw material that we are exporting to the world; it is time for us to produce, to turn ideas to products and products to industry.
“ This starts with collaboration, not ambition, when government and the private sector begin to see that we need collaborations in building this future for creation and uplifting people out of poverty,” he said.