Creative Industry
Nigeria and Saint Lucia Sign Historic MOU to Boost Tourism and Creative Industries
Joel Ajayi
Nigeria and Saint Lucia have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster robust partnerships in tourism, the Orange Economy, and investment in the creative industries.
The agreement was formally signed on Wednesday July 2, 2025, during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s official visit to the Caribbean nation.
The partnership aims to leverage Nigeria’s globally celebrated creative industries, including Nollywood, Afrobeats, fashion, and storytelling, alongside Saint Lucia’s world-class tourism and community-based tourism models. The agreement promotes bilateral participation in cultural festivals, exchange programs, fashion collaborations, and museum development initiatives.
The MOU will focus on co-development of creative economy programs, youth-centered exchanges, and strengthening of value chains for fashion, textiles, and artisanal industries. Plans are underway for joint participation in major cultural festivals, including Saint Lucia’s renowned Jazz Festival.
Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa described the occasion as the dawn of a new era in Africa-Caribbean relations.
She emphasized that the MOU offers a strategic framework to leverage complementary strengths.
“Nigeria has mastered the art of creative industry and culture, from Nollywood to music to storytelling. Saint Lucia, on the other hand, has perfected the tourism model. This collaboration allows us to exchange expertise and co-develop our capacities in both sectors. This partnership can generate immense value for both our countries, but more importantly, it can inspire the global Black community,”Musawa stated.
Saint Lucia’s Minister for Tourism, Culture, and the Creative Industries, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, described the agreement as a formal reconnection of peoples separated by history but united by heritage.
“This agreement is about formally re-establishing those ancestral links.
From music and dance to fashion and sports, Nigeria has been an inspiration. We have enjoyed Nigerian talent at our Jazz Festival in recent years, and this MOU gives us the opportunity to deepen that relationship.”
The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy reaffirms its commitment to fostering strategic alliances that celebrate shared heritage, promote people-to-people connections, and unlock new opportunities for cultural and economic growth across the Global South.
Creative Industry
CAFA Targets $500bn Fashion Economy At Canex Wknd 2026
Joel Ajayi
The Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA) will present its roadmap to grow Africa’s fashion economy from an estimated $30 billion to $500 billion at CANEX WKND 2026 in Lagos.
Marking its first anniversary on November 5, CAFA will unveil a joint stand with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, formerly the National Arts Theatre, on November 5, 2026.
CAFA President, Aare (Prof.) Lai Labode, said the institution works with African governments to align sourcing, production, trade and intellectual property policies, ensuring African creativity generates greater value for African businesses and communities.
Nigeria became the first country to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter on November 5, 2025, when the Honourable Minister Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa signed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Speaking ahead of the unveiling, Minister Musawa said: “Afroliganza seeks to build a structured, values-driven fashion economy rooted in African heritage, led by African institutions, and positioned for global impact.”
On employment potential, the minister emphasized that Investment in fashion will create millions of jobs, particularly for women and youth.
Registered in Rwanda, with an office in Kigali and a desk at the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, CAFA is also working with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards African Union adoption of the Charter. Rwanda is progressing towards becoming its second participating country and the first in East Africa.
Its first year saw fifty nations gather at the Egbaliganza-Lisabi Festival in Abeokuta and a signed MoU with Türkiye’s ASRIAD.
CAFA’s programmes promote processing African raw materials into finished apparel locally. ‘Own What We Create’ addresses intellectual property protection, while the CAFA Certified Seal and CAFA Heritage Mark support standards and authenticity. African Global Fashion Houses are currently being established across international markets.
The African Global Fashion Games will debut in Nigeria in 2028, bringing designers together under national colours. Held every three years, the Games will alternate between African and international hosts, combining competition with investor meetings, deal signings and policy discussions. Its Instant Craft event gives competing nations identical materials and a fixed clock, placing skill at the centre of the contest.
CAFA is inviting creatives, fashion designers, artisans, diplomats, economists, investors and policymakers to its CANEX stand. Visitors can explore the roadmap, ask questions and identify opportunities to contribute through design, manufacturing, investment, research, trade and international partnerships. The stand will be open daily from November 5 to 8.
CAFA calls on the African Union to adopt the Charter, and governments to sign the Games Register and form national teams.
“Fashion has always told the world who Africa is. Now Africa will decide what fashion pays,” Aare Prof. Lai Labode said.
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