British Council Nigeria has taken a significant step to support the country’s creative industry by providing showcase spaces for Nigerian creatives.
Speaking during a press briefing held in Abuja, the Program Manager for Arts at the British Council in Nigeria, Uju Dubas Abassi, informed that the organization has identified space as a major challenge facing creatives in the country.
“The British Council is addressing this issue through its ‘Use of Space’ program, which offers creatives a platform to showcase their work in the organization’s offices.
“So what we do is support creatives in Nigeria. Creatives are all over the place in Nigeria, and our support has been around training, retraining, and getting mentors both in Nigeria and the UK for our creatives, and also trying to harness their knowledge.”
She stressed bringing creative thoughts together and making the creative environment a good employer of labour while noting that the creative industry is the second largest employer of labour.
“We noticed from the information we get from creatives that space is a big issue. You know, people want to showcase. We have been training, and the Jacket King has also been part of our program. It’s just one tiny bit of what we do in the arts sector at the British Council.
“It falls under the Creative Showcase program. So creatives come and use our spaces in the four offices to showcase what they have learned, what they have been trained to do, and also inspire the young ones, and just let people know that there are opportunities in the creative industry, and allow the young ones to come and tap into this.
“‘Threads of Unity’ is actually very interesting for us because there was a call. Selections are not arbitrarily done. We did a call and got more than 700 people interested in using the space, and we critically went through every single application. This is one of the applications that stood out because it’s going to address the present, the past, and the future of our creativity in Nigeria. We have things to export, and at some point, we believe that we’ll pull the UK fit into it.”
CNDaniels Couture’s CEO, Daniel, described the initiative as a departure from conventional fashion shows, focusing on storytelling through fashion, culture, and sustainability. The showcase will feature traditional wedding outfits, cultural narratives, and styles inspired by various ethnic identities, highlighting regional themes and historical significance.
“The British Council serves as the official host and cultural partner for ‘Threads of Unity,’ thereby providing a critical platform for cross-cultural dialogue, creative exchange, and international engagement.
“Through this hosting support, the British Council enables ‘Threads of Unity’ to operate within three globally recognised cultural frameworks, supporting the presentation, documentation, and dissemination of African textile narratives to international audiences.”
He informed that the partnership reinforces shared values around cultural preservation, creative education, sustainability, and ethical storytelling, while fostering meaningful connections between Nigerian, UK, and global creative communities.
“This collaboration positions ‘Threads of Unity’ not only as a fashion-adjacent project, but as a serious cultural initiative aligned with global standards of cultural diplomacy, education, and artistic excellence,” he said.
Similarly, Maureen Daniels, Creative Director of the Stylista by Maureen brand, spoke on the benefit of the project to local marketers.
“If this goes globally, which is the aim of this event, when the market comes, because people are definitely going to source for a product, this gives more opportunity to the local people threading fabrics. It means that the demand that goes to them gets higher.”
