Creative Industry

Nigeria Unveils Nationwide Creative Infrastructure Plan With Chocolate City Group

Published

2 months ago

April 17, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy (FMACTCE) has announced a landmark three-year partnership with Chocolate City Group, one of Nigeria’s leading media and entertainment companies, to transform the country’s creative economy.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed on Thursday in Abuja will focus on developing small-scale live arenas nationwide, identifying and nurturing talent, creating global distribution channels for Nigerian content, and strengthening intellectual property frameworks.

The strategic alliance brings together government vision and private sector expertise to develop Nigeria’s creative industries, with special focus on music, content creation, and live events infrastructure.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa emphasised the sector’s economic potential.

“Nigeria’s creative industries represent one of our greatest untapped economic resources, with the potential to contribute significantly to GDP growth, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings. This partnership with Chocolate City exemplifies our commitment to harnessing the power of public-private collaboration to build sustainable creative ecosystems that empower Nigerian talent and showcase our cultural wealth globally.”

Earlier, the Co-Founder and Chairman of Chocolate City Group, Audu Maikori, pointed to the strategic timing of this partnership.
Maikori said that recent industry reports indicate that Nigeria’s music industry alone generates around $2 billion annually, a sizeable portion of the $26 billion global music economy.

“Afrobeats has emerged as Nigeria’s most powerful cultural ambassador, opening doors for our artists on the global stage. Beyond this, Afrobeats also serves as a powerful cultural export and diplomatic resource, enhancing Nigeria’s global reputation. This partnership will provide the institutional support and infrastructure needed to sustain this momentum and create pathways for the next generation of creative talents. By working with the government, we can address long-standing challenges in distribution, infrastructure, and rights protection that have limited the sector’s full potential.”

In the same vein, Paul Okeugo, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Chocolate City Group highlighted the economic multiplier effect of the partnership.

“When we develop performance venues and creative spaces across Nigeria, we’re creating jobs not just for artists but for sound engineers, event managers, security personnel, hospitality workers, and countless others. This partnership allows us to scale these opportunities nationwide while ensuring Nigerian creators retain ownership of their intellectual property and benefit directly from their creative output.”

The partnership will be implemented through a Joint Working Committee comprising representatives from both organisations, who will identify specific projects for execution.
Expected outcomes include empowering local talent, fostering sustainable entrepreneurship, enhancing the global reach of Nigerian creative content, and developing critical infrastructure for the creative economy.

The announcement comes as Chocolate City celebrates its 20th anniversary and coincides with the Federal Ministry’s Nigeria Destination 2030 initiative, designed to grow the arts, culture and creative economy.
Nigeria Destination 2030 is a comprehensive national initiative led by the Federal Government to position Nigeria as a premier global destination for tourism, investment, and cultural exchange by 2030. The program integrates policy reforms, infrastructure development, and strategic partnerships to showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, natural landscapes, and creative industries on the world stage.
Through coordinated efforts across federal ministries, state governments, and private sector stakeholders, Nigeria Destination 2030 aims to diversify the national economy, generate sustainable employment, attract foreign investment, and strengthen Nigeria’s soft power diplomacy.

Chocolate City Group is Nigeria’s leading integrated entertainment company, founded in 2005. The company has evolved from a music label into a multifaceted entertainment powerhouse, spanning creative infrastructure, music production, artist management, content distribution, publishing, and consultancy in the creative industries.
As a pioneer in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, Chocolate City has discovered, developed, and promoted some of Africa’s most celebrated artists, including Femi Kuti, Blaqbonez, Young Jonn, and Ice Prince, helping to shape the global perception of African music.

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Creative Industry

NTDA, ITPN Sign Pact to Enhance Professionalism in Tourism Sector

Published

9 hours ago

June 6, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

In a strategic move to strengthen professionalism and build capacity within Nigeria’s tourism industry, the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA) has forged a partnership with the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN).

During a courtesy visit to the Authority, the ITPN delegation led by Mrs. Fatimah Obadaki, Chairperson, FCT Chapter emphasized the need for structured collaboration aimed at equipping tourism personnel with industry-relevant skills and enhancing service standards across the sector.

She highlighted that the visit was rooted in the institute’s mission to foster partnerships that promote high standards of service delivery and human capital development in the Nigerian tourism and hospitality sectors.

In his remarks, Dr. Olaleye Taiwo Famogbiyole, FITPN, Registrar of the ITPN, FCT Chapter, emphasized the pressing need to bridge the skill gap between academic knowledge and industry requirements. “The knowledge our graduates bring into the industry is no longer sufficient. We must adopt industry-recognized training programs to align university education with practical industry expectations. As an awarding body within the hospitality, travel, and allied trades ecosystem, we see a vital need to professionalize the sector,” Dr. Famogbiyole stated.

He further called for collaboration with NTDA in training staff in tour operations, tour guiding services and destination management. He proposed that NTDA staff be enrolled as members of the institute and benefit from its tailored training programs.

Dr. Famogbiyole also commended NTDA for its unwavering support of the National Tourism and Transportation Summit (NTTS), one of ITPN’s flagship initiatives. “NTDA has been a consistent and invaluable partner in the success of the NTTS over the years,” he noted.

In response, Mr. Ovie Esewhaye, Director overseeing the Office of the Director General of NTDA, welcomed the ITPN team and praised their resilience and commitment to professionalizing the sector despite prevailing economic challenges.

“At NTDA, we are repositioned for effective performance through strategic collaborations. We are open to partnerships that enhance the capabilities of our workforce. I pledge that all NTDA directors will be enrolled as members of the Institute and we will ensure our staff benefit from the various training programs offered by ITPN,” Mr. Esewhaye assured.

He further revealed that NTDA is undergoing a digital transformation and working towards ISO certifications to improve operational efficiency. “We want to be a benchmark for tourism standards in Africa,” he said.

Mr. Esewhaye reaffirmed NTDA’s commitment to the National Tourism and Transportation Summit and expressed willingness to participate in its upcoming edition. He also accepted ITPN’s invitation to participate in the Abuja Tourism Roundtable scheduled for July 2025, emphasizing, “As long as it has to do with promoting tourism, we will be there.”

The visit marked a significant step in strengthening institutional ties aimed at enhancing professionalism and capacity within Nigeria’s tourism sector.

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