Minister Announces Creation of $1m Venture Capital To Boost Creative Industry

Mon, Jul 17, 2017 | By publisher


Business

LAI Mohammed, minister of information and culture, on Monday announced the establishment of a 1-million-dollar Venture Capital to boost the Creative Industry.

The minister made the announcement at the opening of the two-day Creative Industry Financing Conference holding in Lagos, saying 20 people, each investing $50,000, are expected to help make up the required amount.

He said so far, five people have volunteered to invest $50,000 each and expressed the optimism that more investors will come forward. Mohammed said the $1-million Venture Capital would provide seed money for young and talented Nigerians to set up businesses in the Creative Industry.

Earlier, he said the conference, which is being jointly organised by the federal ministry of Information and Culture and the Think Tank Media, was conceived with a view to taking the Creative Industry into a golden era of smooth access to short and long term financing.

”From my interactions with Industry stakeholders since assuming office, one issue has stuck out like a sore thumb: lack of access to financing is a major bane of the Industry. Instead of just lamenting over this, we have decided to tackle the problem headlong, hence the decision to host this conference.

”I have no doubt that at the end of the series of events here, we will be able to come out with a way forward that will surely boost the Industry,” he said.

Mohammed said the government is paying a great attention to the Creative Industry because of its capacity to create 1 million jobs in three years, boost the economy and allow the creative talents of the youths to blossom.

He listed the efforts so far made to re-position and transform the Industry as including the landmark National Summit on Culture and Tourism, held in Abuja, last year; the Creative Industry Roundtable
held in Lagos last week, and the MoUs signed with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the British Council and the Bank of Industry.

The conference was declared open by Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by Kemi Adeosun, minister of Finance.

Aisha Abubakar, minister of industry, trade and investment, Koubra Sani, minister of information and communication from the Republic of Niger, and many Industry stakeholders, including Film and Music Producers, Artists, Copyright lawyers, representatives of Banks and journalists, are attending the conference

—  Jul 17, 2017 @ 18:00 GMT

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