BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have announced a groundbreaking partnership aimed at integrating Nigeria’s cultural and creative industries with the country’s burgeoning digital and innovation ecosystems.
The Director-General of NCAC, Obi Asika, and his team met with the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, alongside his senior leadership team, at NITDA headquarters in Abuja to establish a collaborative framework.
This strategic alliance seeks to harness the strengths of both agencies to drive growth, innovation, and digital transformation across Nigeria’s creative and cultural sectors.
A joint press statement issued by Dr Dennis Olofu, for NCAC and Mrs. Hadiza Umar, for NITDA noted the key focus areas of the partnership.
The focus areas include a Capacity-Building Program: ICE (Innovate, Create, Empower), designed to upskill participants in the cultural and creative industries.
The statement noted that “With NITDA’s support, ICE will expand to 1,000 locations nationwide, targeting the training of 2 million Nigerians by 2027. NITDA will provide training facilities and digital labs to enhance the programme’s impact.
“NCAC, in collaboration with private sector partners, is developing digital platforms for cultural inventory, fan engagement, influencer marketing, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), e-commerce, and capacity building. NITDA will provide support through local distribution networks and cloud services to strengthen these platforms.
“NCAC formally requested NITDA’s assistance in equipping its headquarters and zonal offices with computers, tablets, consumables, digital labs, and podcast studios to achieve full digital transformation.
“NCAC will mobilise its creative and cultural communities to participate in NITDA’s initiatives, including the highly anticipated GITEX Nigeria 2025.
“Both agencies have agreed to pilot BuyNigeria.ng, an e-commerce platform designed to bring Nigerian markets online. The initial phase will focus on markets in Kano, Lagos, Aba, and Abuja, fostering greater visibility and accessibility for traders and artisans while aligning with NCAC’s vision of enhancing productivity in the cultural and creative sectors.”
It said “a joint committee comprising directors from both NCAC and NITDA has been established to drive the partnership forward and ensure seamless implementation of shared initiatives.”
According to the statement, “NCAC’s Nigeria’s Got Talent platform will integrate NITDA’s digital literacy programs and gamified learning systems, creating opportunities for creatives to thrive in a digitally empowered environment.
“This partnership marks a significant step toward integrating Nigeria’s cultural heritage with cutting-edge digital innovation, unlocking limitless potential for the nation’s creative and digital economies.”
