Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has expressed the Federal Government’s support for programmes and initiatives that are geared towards women empowerment through creative skills acquisition.

The minister made the commitment when personnel of Terra Culture Academy for Arts and the Business Day Media Foundation paid her a courtesy visit on Friday in Abuja.

According to Ms Musawa, the creative industry is a key driver to addressing youth unemployment and the empowerment of women, and therefore expressed the ministry’s passion towards promoting the sector.

She thanked the groups for their initiatives towards the discovery of budding talents and other contributions to Nigeria’s creative landscape, especially the Women Creative Summit scheduled to hold later in the year.

She said, “I extend my warmest greetings to the organising team for the Women Creative Summit for this important initiative because I am very passionate about gender mainstreaming across the nexus of the creative economy. The ministry values and supports such initiatives as the Creative Economy Summit which highlights the dynamic intersection of business and creativity. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to leverage the forum to sensitise the public about the strategic initiatives and policy direction of the ministry. We will continue to discuss avenues for collaboration and exploring avenues to boost the capacity of emerging talents, especially women within the industry.’’

Earlier, Project Coordinator of the 2024 Women Creatives Summit, Imal Silva, said that the organisers seek the ministry’s approval, collaboration and support towards the successful hosting of the event.

She said the conference scheduled to hold in June in Abuja would explore the multi-faceted nature of creativity among women, highlighting their innovative approaches, challenges and successes.

“The summit is designed to promote the creative economy and the development of women’s contribution in it. It will also amplify the voices, talents and stories of women in the creative industry.

“The gathering aims to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas, promote skill sharing and create a supportive network for women across various artistic domains,” she said.

(NAN)