FIC Report (Lagos State) – The Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to positioning Nigeria’s creative economy for global competitiveness as it moves to plug massive revenue leakages in the music industry.
The Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, MCCTI, Mrs. Folashade Bada Ambrose-Medebem, gave the assurance while declaring open the “IP for Growth in Africa: Lagos Music Industry Workshop” at the American Corner, Lekki.
The three-day capacity-building programme, the first in the IP for Growth in Africa series, is designed to strengthen intellectual property frameworks and drive sustainable growth in the music sector.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ambrose-Medebem underscored the strategic importance of intellectual property protection to economic survival. According to her, nearly $286 million in recorded music revenue remains uncollected in Nigeria and Kenya alone.
She lamented that the staggering figure represents lost jobs, unbuilt infrastructure and unrealised potential for the nation’s economy.
“Nigeria’s creative economy is not merely a cultural asset; it is an economic powerhouse. Our music industry alone now accounts for over N613 billion, demonstrating its significant and growing contribution to our national economy. Lagos State stands at the very heart of this creative revolution,” she stated.
The Commissioner added that as the Entertainment Capital of Africa, Lagos remains home to the artists, producers, innovators and entrepreneurs who are exporting Nigerian culture to every corner of the globe.
She maintained that a thriving creative economy requires more than talent. In her words, what is needed is an enabling environment anchored on clear legal frameworks, effective enforcement mechanisms, accessible education for creators, and strong institutions that can negotiate on behalf of Nigerian artists in the global marketplace.
The workshop builds on high-level discussions convened by the U.S. Mission during the World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, General Assembly in Geneva on July 9th. The organisers disclosed that the second edition of the IP launch is slated for South Africa in the third week of August, 2026.
In her remarks, the Acting Consul General of the U.S. Mission in Lagos, Julia McKay, said the initiative comes at a special moment as the United States celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
McKay explained that by extending U.S. expertise beyond Geneva, the American Government is demonstrating the effectiveness of the U.S. Intellectual Property model. She noted that the initiative also advances American commercial interests, promotes transparent market-based systems, and builds lasting partnerships with African creators and policymakers.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Mr. Obi Asika, who is also an alumnus of the U.S. International Visitors Leadership Programme, provided compelling data on the industry’s growth trajectory.
Asika revealed that Nigeria has recorded 5,000 percent growth on Spotify in the last five years, a feat he said was achieved without government support and entirely bootstrapped by the industry itself.
“There is no industry in the world that has grown this fast in the last five years,” he declared.
He further announced significant policy advancements, including the establishment of a cohesive IP framework across five ministries now approved by the Federal Executive Council, and the operationalisation of the copyright levy system, which he described as a milestone achievement after 25 years of advocacy.
On her part, Katherine Hiner, the IP Attaché for Sub-Saharan Africa at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, reinforced the economic imperative of strong IP systems. She disclosed that 44 percent of the U.S. GDP is supported by IP-intensive industries, employing 49.6 million people.
According to her, Nigerian creatives are not just a cultural phenomenon but an economic reality that industries bring to the table.
Contributing to the conversation, the Vice President of Business Affairs and Tech at The Temple Company and an AMMP Alumnus, Kolawole Fashola, challenged stakeholders on sustainability.
Fashola observed that Nigeria has never had a shortage of talent and that Nigerian music has travelled across the world, but questioned how well the nation is converting talent into economic sustainability.
He stressed that knowledge sharing can help build more resilient businesses, adding that the conversation must move beyond cultural influence to building systems required to protect and manage intellectual property properly.
The workshop features intensive sessions on music publishing, digital distribution, licensing, monetisation, and the practical dimensions of IP protection.
Participants include representatives from leading American music companies with presence in Nigeria, as well as Nigerian industry leaders and emerging talents. The programme is supported by the USPTO, WIPO and the NCAC.
The initiative will culminate in November, when African creators will return to Geneva to engage directly with policymakers and government officials attending WIPO’s Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, a move aimed at connecting those creating and commercialising music with those shaping the policies that determine how value is protected and shared.
Reported by:
Kareem Zainab Ibiyemi
Principal Information Officer& PR
14 / 08 / 2026.
