ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, has disclosed that the state government invested N8.4bn in the creative economy during the 2025 financial year.
She made the disclosure at the African Music Business Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, as part of activities marking the 9th edition of the All Africa Music Awards.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Benson-Awoyinka explained that the funding supported concerts, capacity-building programmes, training initiatives and production assistance across music, film and other creative industries.
She reiterated the state government’s commitment to the entertainment, creative economy and hospitality sectors, stressing that consistent investment remains crucial to establishing Lagos as Africa’s foremost creative hub.
According to the commissioner, public funding for the creative sector has expanded considerably, increasing from N3.8bn before 2023 to N18bn, with projections approaching N40bn, underscoring the sector’s rising economic importance and need for structured support.
She also unveiled plans for the Lagos Talent Hunt, an initiative aimed at identifying, developing and empowering emerging talents across the state.
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In addition, she said government-owned theatres would be converted into cinemas and music studios, providing young creatives with free access to professional recording and production facilities.
Benson-Awoyinka further highlighted the government’s open-door policy, urging creatives to submit proposals, collaborate with the ministry and actively engage in policy dialogues shaping the sector.
She noted that the state has backed more than 140 creative projects and organisations, hosted large-scale free public events attended by over 100,000 residents, and continues to leverage the creative economy to drive youth empowerment, social inclusion and economic growth.
In her vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Bopo Oyekan-Ismaila, praised the commissioner’s leadership and reaffirmed the ministry’s dedication to nurturing globally competitive creative talent from Lagos.
She encouraged practitioners to engage the ministry through its official platforms and take full advantage of opportunities created through public investment.
“We want to create more Burna Boys and more Davidos global icons trained with taxpayers’ money and celebrated on the world stage,” she said.
Oyekan-Ismaila also urged creatives to follow official Lagos State tourism and creative economy social media platforms to stay updated on funding windows, programmes and emerging opportunities.