Creative Industry

Support for Creative Industry, Best Way To Solve Youth Unemployment – Minister

Published

3 years ago

June 21, 2022

Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohamed, has stressed the need for governments in Africa to invest in the Creative Industry as a way of solving youth unemployment and boosting the creative talent of youths.

The Minister, who made the remarks while briefing journalists on the just-concluded Annual General Meeting of the Afreximbank in Cairo,Egypt, where the Creative Industry featured prominently, said such support should be in form of providing grants for the sector and building Creative Industry infrastructure such as event places,cinemas, internet connectivity and cheap data.

According to him, what we find lacking in the Creative Industry really is thatgovernments across the continent need to do more than what we aredoing now.

They need to create infrastructure we are not just talking about roads or bridges or airports but Creative Industry Infrastructure, both hardware and software.

”We have the population, we have the talents, we need infrastructure,we need government grants,” said Alhaji Mohammed, who was a panellists at a session of the Afreximbank AGM that was dedicated to the Creative Industry.

He said with a high population of youths, most of whom are unemployed,the Creative Industry holds great potential for Africa because it’s a limitless and renewable resource capable of creating wealth and employment.

The Minister said the continental bank has floated a $500 million Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Fund designed to boost African Creative Industry and the Media, including digital innovators and experts,fashion, film and music.

He said for the Creative Industry to thrive, governments on the continent should explore avenues for long term grants, capacity building and provision of infrastructure, adding: ”You cannot grow the Creative Industry with debt.”
Alhaji Mohammed also said all the available instruments at the moment cannot grow the Creative Industry, and that what is needed is ‘patient money’.

”What we need is for venture capital firms to invest more in the Creative Industry. This is because out of the $1 billion venture capital investment in Nigeria in 2021, just 1 per cent went to the Creative industry,” he said.

The Minister said with a population of about 52 million young people (between the ages of 18 and 35), who are hugely talented, and the digital revolution which provides internet access for about 104million people and also with about 33 million Social Media users,Nigeria’s Creative Industry is like a gold mine and, when properly harnessed, would serve as the country’s new oil.

He expressed delight that Nigeria is far ahead of some of its peers on the continent in appreciating the potential of the Creative Industry and making policies towards enhancing the contribution of the sector to economic growth.

“I am proud to say that when we were in Cairo, I was able to thump my chest and say that Nigeria is doing the right thing. One example I cited is the collaboration between the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria/Bankers’ Committee that will bring a brand new National Theatre, which will also have four hubs for music, ICT, fashion and film.

“We are actually creating a creative and entertainment centre, which is going to employ many people and stop capital flight because you can now do the post-production for your film and music right here in Nigeria,” the Minister said.

Alhaji Mohammed, who also mentioned the floating of the $50 million Creative Industry Financial Initiative by the Central Bank, promised to engage the apex bank to ensure that the fund is accessible to the Creative Industry players.

He also harped on the need to improve on the collation, analysis and interpretation of data on the contribution of the Creative Sector to the GDP so that policy makers, development partners and other experts can make a case for favourable policies and funding for the industry.

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Creative Industry

THANK YOU MOM-Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

Published

7 days ago

October 29, 2025

The Gleamer

Written by Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

…Every day I get to celebrate and honor being a mother, and honor my mother. Joining grateful children and mothers around the world to give gratitude and celebrate the special gift of motherhood is a priviledge.

I celebrate the blessing of motherhood every second of the day because it is the ultimate gift. I celebrate being a mother and having the most special mother every moment and want to give a loving shout out to my mother.

Anyone who knows my mother, Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa (nee Yusuf Gurshe Rafindadi), will be aware of what a difficult task it is for me to attempt to find the words to describe her. A role model to all who know and love her, my mother lives her life with great humility. Her selflessness and kindness to others knows no bounds. She is a fantastic person who has been blessed with a great sense of humor, a kind nature, and an unassuming ability to make all those around her feel special and loved.

To have the blessing of being able to call Hajia Ladi, ‘Mom’ and Alhaji Musa ‘Dad’ is, perhaps, the greatest fortune of my life. Continuously, I learn and grow from the pure example set by them.

The energy my Mom pumps into the love and caring she displays to all those around her and beyond is boundless. She continues to be a source of inspiration to so many that she meets by her unselfishness, dedication and Faith in Allah. She unceasingly encourages her children, family, friends, neighbors and associates to work hard at life but always to put Allah first. Her faith cradles her and her loved ones even during the times when life throws curve-balls. The courage she always shows in the face of adversity and her inner strength are truly what great people are made of. She is a true blessing.

My greatest wish for my Mom, as I watch her dedicate her life to encouraging, supporting, educating, protecting, helping, loving, and caring for all those she comes in contact with on a daily basis, is for her to be able to see herself the way the World sees her; which is as a blessing, an incredibly special and amazing person. A woman who is indeed a pure soul with a pure heart, a remarkable role model and a woman with great faith.

Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa is a shining gem and an angel. She has incredibly strong values. If ever there was a portrait of a Godly mother, it is she. I am convinced that anything that is pure and good in me, Allah has planted it in me directly from my Mom and Dad.

My Mom is big on teaching. On a daily basis, she teaches me to live my life, make my decisions and conduct myself as if I am teaching my children and the next generation. One of her favorite quotes to me is one of Ghandi’s. “Hannatu, always be the change you want to see in the world…” she would say. This quote consistently reverberates in my head and sticks with me wherever I go. It is exactly how Mom lives her life.

Some of the greatest values I try to uphold; defending my honor religiously, keeping integrity, trying to do right, caring for the downtrodden, were instilled in me by Mom. Her lessons and example influence every good part of my life and positive thought process.

Mom teaches me the difference between right and wrong and urges me to constantly try to make good choices. She teaches me to be faithful to myself, to my family, to my culture, to my community, to my calling, to people around me, to my identity, to my bloodline, to my Father’s name, to Nigeria and especially to Allah. She encourages me to be more focused and strive and finish things that I start. She always urges me to try as best as I can to keep my word and learn to accept and take correction. And she always worries and counsels me about tempering the fiery temper I inherited from my equally incredible late Dad.

Mom teaches me that the things I should treasure should never be made with human hands. She teaches me that it is through giving that I will be filled and fulfilled. She teaches me that originality feeds the soul and energizes the mind. She teaches me to exercise greater patience and always try to endure. She teaches me the difference between right and wrong. She teaches me not to use my power to hurt others. She teaches me to always strive to give more than I receive. This is an example that she lives with daily. Throughout her life she has always been known to help people, even at her own expense. It is the way she lives, even now. She simply loves being there for others and making their lives easier. It is the times that she helps people that you can see the greatest joy in her eyes.

As a little girl, she often took me and my siblings to orphanages, shelters and hospitals so we could see people who were suffering; so we could develop a desire to help people who are suffering. She made us touch and feed lepers in the days when people shunned them. She worries for everyone more than she worries about herself. She tries to do all she can to fix other people’s problems. Her charity was to everyone she interacted with, anyone who needed her and that was what made people gravitate towards her. That is the kind of woman my Mom is.

For the duration of my life I will dedicate every morsel of who I am, everything I have achieved and all that I have ever done good and right to my Mom and Dad. I thank them deeply for loving me so much and being the brightest light in my life. I thank them for showing me what I should be and teaching me how to be free and how to dream. I thank them for being the ultimate example of forgiveness, compassion, friendship, kindness, strength, generosity, honesty, elegance, beauty, resilience, selflessness, care, hope and love. I thank Mom for telling me she loved me every single day of my life. Even when we were not together, she finds a way of getting the message across to me, even if it was just through her energy.

Mom is my rock, my anchor; my strong, beautiful, vibrant angel; my heart and my precious gift from Allah. I am beyond proud of her and everything she is. From the time I was a little girl, Mom and Dad have always been all I have ever needed in my life. My submission to the Almighty comes first beyond everything else and my dedication to Mom and the memory of my Dad I draw through that faith. I truly have exceptional parents. My siblings and I truly won the loterry as far as parents go! We thank The Almighty with everything that we have for the grace and gift he has given us in the form of parents.

…Every day I get to celebrate and honor being a mother, and honor my mother. Joining grateful children and mothers around the world to give gratitude and celebrate the special gift of motherhood is a priviledge. I want to encourage everyone to celebrate and pray for their Mom every single day whether she is living or passed.

“Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa, I wanted to tell the world about the essence of you, my salute to you so they can celebrate with me on my great blessing of you, so they can celebrate their mothers too. You impact the world around you more than you realize. I love you on your good days and on your bad days. I see your sacrifice and struggle day after day. You are not just a mother, you are a role model and an advocate My heart will always belong to you and I want to say “May Allah always be with you.” May we witness many more days together by Allah’s special grace. I LOVE YOU MOM… I THANK YOU!”

Written by Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

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