The United States says it is committed to strengthening ties with Nigeria through the creative industry.

The U.S. consul general in Lagos, Will Stevens, disclosed this on Monday, at a reception in honour of the inaugural Africa Creative Market, in Lagos. He said the creative industry in the country would redefine the relationship between Nigeria and the U.S.

“Our government remains committed to promoting economic growth and trade in the creative industry by preparing Nigerian creatives for the global marketplace,” Mr Stevens stated. “The energy, creativity and partnership between the film, music and fashion sectors attract everybody to Nigeria, and it is the future of our relationship.”

He added, “We remain committed to ensuring that we strengthen our ties through the creative industry, as this would help solidify bilateral relations between both countries.”

Inya Lawal, the co-founder of Africa Creative Market, said the platform was created to exchange product ideas between Africa’s creative sector and the global creative industry. She said the Africa Creative Market would host various capacity-building events for creatives in film, music, dance and fashion.

Ms Lawal explained that it would also explore sustainable business models and opportunities to access trade finance for the creative industry.

“From August 29 to September 3 at the Landmark Centre, we would be holding different sessions and training about fashion, music, photography, and it is free and open to the public. These programmes would be used as platform to moving all the sectors in the creative industry forward, and it would be exploited to get the best out of it,” she said.

Bada Johnson, MTV Base country director, noted that the Africa Creative Market would be used as a platform to showcase the musical talents in Nigeria to the world.

He applauded the U.S. government for its support, adding the entertainment industry in Nigeria had received tremendous support from relevant authorities.

Kirsten Schaffer, president of the Women in Film, Los Angeles, said collaboration and building bridges between continents and communities were essential to the continuous development of the creative industry.

She noted that the association was committed to ensuring women became more prominent globally in the industry. 

(NAN)