LAI Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has said the Creative Industry Financing Conference, scheduled to hold July 17-18, will take the industry into a golden era of smooth access to short and long term financing, world class management as well as local and international distribution.

The minister spoke in Lagos on Thursday, at a press conference he called to formally announce the event, which the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture is organizing in conjunction with the Think Tank Media and Advertising.

He said the two-day conference was conceived ”because of our realization that lack of access to financing is stunting the growth of the Creative Industry”

Mohammed recalled that the conference is the latest in a series of conferences and other events that have been held by the ministry to boost the industry, citing others as the National Summit on Culture and Tourism held last year to chart the path for the industry, the Roundtable on the Creative Industry held in Lagos last Monday and the MoUs with the Bank of Industry, Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council.

”As you are undoubtedly aware, this Administration attaches a whole lot of importance to the Creative Industry. This is in line with its cardinal programme of diversifying the economy away from oil,” he said, adding: ”There is no better demonstration of the high priority given to the Creative Industry than the fact that the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, himself will declare open the Creative Industry Financing Conference.”

The Minister said the overall essence of the Ministry’s efforts is to transform the Creative Industry to a Creative Economy.

”We also believe that this transformation must be driven by the private sector, with the government providing the enabling environment,” he said.

—  Jul 13, 2017 @ 18:15 GMT