The Nigerian authorities is within the remaining levels of revising its Nationwide Coverage on Tradition, a doc that has remained largely unchanged since 1988, the nation’s Minister of Artwork, Tradition, Tourism, and Artistic Economic system, Hannatu Musawa, introduced Friday.
The coverage evaluate, undertaken in collaboration with the Nigerian {Economic} Summit Group (NESG) and the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Group (UNESCO), seeks to modernize Nigeria’s method to cultural preservation and the inventive economic system.
“The doc was final reviewed in 1988 and has remained in draft kind for over 37 years regardless of its significance in shaping Nigeria’s cultural and inventive industries,” Musawa mentioned in an announcement.
A Cultural Coverage Drafting Committee was inaugurated in July 2024, bringing collectively over 100 specialists divided into sub-groups to analysis and develop a framework for the revised coverage.
The committee accomplished an preliminary digital drafting section in December 2024, resulting in a remaining spherical of in-person discussions to refine the doc.
The following step, in response to Musawa, is a Stakeholders’ Engagement and Validation Train, after which the coverage will probably be submitted to the Federal Government Council (FEC) for approval.
“In recognition of the urgency of those reforms, the ministry initiated a complete evaluate course of to make sure that Nigeria’s cultural framework aligns with world greatest practices and displays the evolving inventive economic system,” Musawa mentioned.
She added that the hassle aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to reposition tradition as a pillar of nationwide id and {economic} development.
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Musawa emphasised that the revised coverage will replicate up to date developments, notably the shift from a inventive business to a inventive economic system, which locations larger emphasis on cultural sectors as important drivers of {economic} improvement.
“The nationwide coverage on tradition serves as a authorized framework guiding the preservation, promotion, and improvement of Nigeria’s cultural heritage,” she mentioned.
The ministry’s partnership with NESG and UNESCO has been instrumental in making certain an inclusive and well-structured evaluate course of, she added.
By means of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024, NESG has supplied analysis, technical help, and stakeholder engagement methods to make sure that the ultimate coverage meets each nationwide and worldwide requirements.
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In the meantime, UNESCO has provided technical help, coaching, and knowledgeable steerage to make sure that the revised coverage aligns with world greatest practices.
The group has additionally facilitated workshops and coverage improvement periods, specializing in preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage whereas fostering {economic} alternatives.
Coverage specialists say the evaluate is a long time overdue. Ikenna Nwosu, a facilitator at NESG who participated within the drafting course of, mentioned the delay had left the sector lagging behind in governance and coverage help.
“For 37 years, this coverage remained unchanged regardless of the fast transformation of the cultural and inventive sectors,” Nwosu mentioned. “Ideally, such insurance policies must be reviewed each 5 to 10 years. What we’re witnessing in the present day is a long-overdue intervention.”
He emphasised that Nigeria’s cultural and inventive economic system has expanded considerably, but authorities insurance policies have struggled to maintain tempo with the business’s development and world alternatives.