UK Launches Creative Fund to Strengthen Nigeria’s Film, Fashion, Music Industries

By: Michael Mike

The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub has unveiled a new Creative Fund aimed at boosting local production capacity across Nigeria’s film, fashion, and music industries.

The initiative, backed by the UK Government, is designed to address critical gaps in technical skills, infrastructure, and access to modern production tools within Nigeria’s creative sector.

The fund aligns with the goals of the UK-Nigeria Economic Transformation and Investment Partnership (ETIP) Creatives Working Group, launched in 2025, and follows commitments made during Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom in March 2026.

Speaking on the launch, Director of the Tech Hub, Oyinkansola Akintola-Bello, said the initiative represents a shift from policy discussions to practical action.

She noted that while Nigeria’s creative industry already contributes significantly to the economy, more support is needed to enable creatives to produce high-quality work locally rather than outsourcing key technical processes abroad.

Funded under the UK’s Digital Access Programme and implemented by Tech4Dev, the Creative Fund draws on findings from a 2024 study of Nigeria’s creative ecosystem. The research revealed that the sector employs about 4.2 million people and contributes roughly $3 billion annually to the country’s GDP, despite facing structural challenges.

These challenges include limited access to formal financing, heavy reliance on self-taught skills, and the outsourcing of high-value technical work outside Nigeria.

The fund will support projects across film, fashion, and music, particularly those with strong potential for scalability, job creation, and local impact. It will also help cover technical gaps by funding access to specialists such as visual effects artists, sound engineers, and post-production experts, as well as digital tools like content delivery systems and AI-powered production technologies.

Country Manager for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa at Tech4Dev, Abraham Akpan,, emphasized that the initiative prioritizes inclusion by supporting women-led and youth-driven ventures, as well as underrepresented groups in the creative economy.

He added that the fund is intended to ensure Nigeria’s creative growth is backed by sustainable local talent and infrastructure.

Applications for the Creative Fund are currently open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Eligible applicants include creative companies, studios, production houses, fashion enterprises, and music labels with clearly defined technical needs and a commitment to co-investment.

The initiative is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s creative value chain and position the country as a hub for high-quality, locally produced creative content.

UK Launches Creative Fund to Strengthen Nigeria’s Film, Fashion, Music Industries

NESREA Shuts Down 30 Non-Compliant Facilities Over EIA Violations

By: Michael Mike

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), alongside members of the press, carried out an enforcement exercise in Abuja, sealing 30 facilities over non-compliance with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements in the construction sector.

In a speech delivered at the briefing, the Director of Environmental Quality Control, Elijah Udofia, said the affected facilities were found to have violated environmental regulations guiding construction activities, prompting decisive action by the agency.

“These violations were identified through NESREA’s routine inspections and compliance monitoring activities. In addition, these facilities also demonstrated unwillingness to fully comply with regulatory requirements relating to environmental documentation and responsiveness to compliance engagements. Where regulatory communication is clear, time-bound, and evidence-based, failure to respond constitutes a serious breach of compliance obligations and poses risks to both the environment and public health,” he said.

Udofia explained that the construction sector, while vital to national development, poses serious environmental risks when safeguards are ignored, including improper waste management, building on floodplains, uncontrolled emissions, and unsafe handling of materials.

He stressed that NESREA’s actions were in line with its mandate to enforce environmental laws and ensure public safety.

“Environmental compliance is not a choice. The regulations are designed to prevent harm before it occurs and to ensure that construction activities are managed responsibly from the start,” he stated.

He added that the agency moved from engagement to enforcement after the facilities failed to meet compliance requirements or respond adequately to regulatory concerns.

The director outlined the measures taken by NESREA, noting that the enforcement actions were aimed at stopping or curtailing environmentally harmful activities, compelling compliance through regulatory interventions, and ensuring that corrective measures are implemented within stipulated timelines.

“These enforcement steps are consistent with the agency’s powers under the NESREA Act and the National Environmental (Construction Sector) Regulations 2011,” he added.

Sending a strong warning to developers and contractors, Udofia emphasized that environmental documentation is mandatory and must be submitted as required by law. He also urged operators to respond promptly to compliance notices and implement proper environmental safeguards on-site.

“Dust control, waste management, erosion prevention, and safe site practices must be integrated into project execution—not added after problems arise. Compliance is part of project success,” he said.

NESREA also reassured the public that its enforcement actions are based on evidence and due process, not sentiment.

“We will continue to enforce the law fairly and consistently across the country,” Udofia noted.

He further called for cooperation from stakeholders to improve environmental performance across the construction sector.

“While we enforce compliance, we also call on stakeholders to cooperate with NESREA. Communities deserve clean and safe environments, and developers deserve predictable regulatory processes,” he said.

The agency concluded that the enforcement action should serve as a clear warning, reaffirming its commitment to strict enforcement of environmental regulations, especially where violations pose risks to public health and the environment.

NESREA Shuts Down 30 Non-Compliant Facilities Over EIA Violations

NHRC trains 34 human rights advocates in Gombe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has trained 34 Community Protection Rights Advocates to protect and promote human rights in Gombe state.

Dr Joseph Wanshe, the State Coordinator of the Commission, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Monday.

Wanshe said that the training was imperative toward achieving the mandate of the commission in the state.

According to him, the trained advocates, who are mostly in rural areas, will penetrate distant and rural communities where human rights violations are rampant.

He said that the training has started yielding the expected results as there have been increased number of reported cases of human rights violations from rural communities across the state.

He said that the advocates have been deployed to the 11 local government areas of the state.

“We are witnessing an upsurge in human rights reporting coming to the office.

“ The numbers are increasing as regards civil and political rights followed by cases of women and children, domestic violence, economic, social and cultural rights.

“ There are many factors involved in the upsurge as the NHRC within the last one month has stepped up sensitisations and stakeholders’ engagements.

“ We have trained Community Protection Rights advocates, who have been working and as a result, awareness has increased and number of complaints received have spiked,” he said.

Wanshe said that the trained advocates have been affiliated to NHRC at the local government levels toward ensuring wider coverage of the state in terms of human rights protection.

He assured residents on the commission’s effort at ensuring that it achieved effectively its mandate of protection and promotion of human rights.

Wanshe commended the people of Gombe State for their improved confidence in NHRC which has resulted in improved reportage of human rights violations

He further urged communities to support the advocates in their domains in the overall interest of human rights protection.

NHRC trains 34 human rights advocates in Gombe