President of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Bolaji Amusan, has urged the federal government to leverage the creative industry’s potential to boost the country’s GDP.

Amusan claimed motion picture and music recordings accounted for N154 billion of Nigeria’s GDP in 2023.

The event was held in preparation for TAMPAN’s 2025 national conference scheduled for February 19 to 22.

Amusan said despite the industry’s high potential to generate income, the government has been unable to maximise it.

He called on the government to support the industry while highlighting how countries like London and India prioritise the growth of their creative industries.

He further urged the government to invest in film villages and production equipment to alleviate the challenges faced by creatives.

“If you go to London, India, and America, I can call them grandfathers in film production and creative industry,” he said.

“Most of these people perform arts free, and the government a so well on the development of the creative industry.

“The only way we can do that is to get that uninhibited support from the government.

“In Nigeria, let’s take Ogun State and Lagos State, for example. We have less than two to three film villages.

“If the government invested heavily in film villages and the equipment used to produce films, it will reduce the stress and hardship being faced by the creative people.”

Amusan further emphasised that maximising the creative industry’s potential could also create more job opportunities.

“The creative sector currently employs about 4.2 million people in Nigeria,” he added.

“It has, however, been projected that the creative sector could create an additional 2.7 million jobs within the next four to five years if its potential is properly harnessed.”