Creative Industry
Russia Offers To Increase Scholarships For Nigerian Students From 220 As Part Of Bilaterial Cooperation
Joel Ajayi
The Russian Federation has offered to increase its annual scholarship quota for Nigerian students from 220 to a potentially higher number, pending collaboration with Nigeria’s Ministry of Education.
The offer, which aims to explore areas of mutual interest in culture, was made on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting between the Russian Embassy and the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.
Discussions centered on various areas, including youth development through creative industries, cultural exchange, and economic cooperation.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa highlighted the importance of harnessing the country’s large youth population through the creative and cultural industries.
“Nigeria has a large youth population, with 70% under the age of 30. There is great need to harness their potential through the creative and cultural industries. We emphasize the use of culture and creativity to engage young people on global issues like youth employment and economic hardship, climate change, education and mental health challenges”, the minister said.
The Russia Federation, represented by H. E. Ambassador A.L. Podelyshev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Nigeria, invited Nigeria to participate in the Kazan Cultural Fair in November 2025, and proposed reviving a pending Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cultural cooperation, which was first proposed two years ago.
In addition, Ambassador Podelyshev expressed interest in promoting cultural exchange through an invitation of Nigerian cultural groups to Russia and Russian artists to Nigeria. He pledged Russia’s assistance in the preservation of Nigeria’s culture through technology.
“The Russian Institute of Theatre Arts seeks and proposes collaboration with Nigeria for joint theatre programs and training. It also proposes cooperation in preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage through digital technologies like 3D scanning and virtual reality”, the Ambassador stated.
The Ministry proposed adding creative economy and audiovisual co-productions to future bilateral agreements while both parties committed to taking concrete action, agreeing on the need for clear focal persons and timelines to ensure effective follow-up.
The Russian Embassy said it awaits concrete proposals from Nigeria on priority areas of cooperation, while expressing mutual willingness to move forward on the MOU and implement cultural, creative, and tourism-related projects.
Creative Industry
FG Backs MyCityApp Launch of 100-Day Tourism Calendar to Drive $100bn Economic Growth
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the launch of MyCityApp, a Nigerian city discovery and tourism platform designed to aggregate festivals, concerts, cultural events and lifestyle experiences into a single digital calendar.
The platform, which flags off the 100-Day Tourism Calendar, was unveiled on Monday at the Ember2Remember National Stakeholders’ Conference in Victoria Island, Lagos, with the initiative targeting Nigeria’s estimated $100 billion tourism and creative economy opportunity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the Media and Publicity Adviser to the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the ministry said the conference was aimed at mobilising public and private stakeholders to transform the September-to-December festive period into jobs, investment and economic growth.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said millions of visitors travel across Nigeria every year to celebrate, reconnect and experience the country’s diverse culture, stressing that the festive season could be deliberately organised and monetised to strengthen tourism’s contribution to the economy.
“This initiative is about moving beyond the traditional concept of a festive season. It is about deliberately organising, packaging, promoting, and monetising one of the most economically active periods in our national calendar,” Musawa said.
She noted that every visitor generates economic activity across several sectors, including aviation, transportation, hospitality, restaurants, entertainment, retail, technology, artisans and local communities.
The Minister commended MyCityApp Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Ifeoma Chukwu, for her vision and commitment to the initiative.
She urged state governments, event organisers, tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other stakeholders to list their festivals, concerts, exhibitions, food experiences, cultural celebrations, fashion and sporting events on the national calendar.
Musawa said the platform would enable Nigerians, members of the diaspora and international visitors to discover tourism and entertainment experiences across the country from a single, credible source.
Earlier, Chukwu said Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and creative sector provided enormous opportunities for tourism-driven economic growth.
She cited the contributions of tourism to the economies of countries such as Spain, France and the United States, arguing that Nigeria could equally build a $100 billion tourism economy.
Also present were Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka; Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Ugochi Madueke; NCAC Director-General, Obi Asika; National Gallery of Art Director-General, Ahmed Sodangi; ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo; and MTN Nigeria CEO, Dr Karl Toriola.
MyLagosApp and MyCityApp will serve as the digital engines of the calendar, distributing events through a 360-degree media ecosystem to audiences in Nigeria and the diaspora.
Stakeholders were encouraged to upload their events on MyCityApp to participate in the national tourism calendar urging them to upload events on http://www.MyCityApp.io.
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