The United Kingdom and Nigeria have intensified efforts to deepen creative-sector collaboration, expand international market access and unlock commercial opportunities ahead of the 2028 UK-Nigeria Season of Culture.
The renewed commitment followed a series of engagements in Lagos involving 17 UK creative professionals and Nigerian industry leaders, policymakers, businesses and cultural institutions, aimed at establishing partnerships and strengthening the commercial potential of both countries’ creative industries.
The UK Creative Sector Delegation, comprising professionals from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, engaged Nigerian counterparts across film, television, music, fashion, design, literature, theatre and visual arts.
The engagements, held alongside the Africa International Film Festival, Creative Africa Nexus Weekend, Lagos Fringe and Art X Lagos, featured targeted meetings, roundtable discussions and networking sessions to promote knowledge exchange and facilitate professional relationships.
Discussions focused on addressing structural challenges affecting creative businesses, including skills development, intellectual property protection, rights management, access to finance, production capacity, commissioning, distribution and access to local and international markets.
British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, said the UK remained committed to supporting Nigeria’s creative industries through access to expertise, professional networks, financing opportunities and international markets.
Baxter explained that the engagements were designed to establish the foundation for meaningful collaboration, noting that sustainable partnerships would depend on building lasting relationships, removing barriers and creating opportunities that benefit businesses and professionals in both countries.
He described Nigeria’s creative sector as a combination of exceptional talent, entrepreneurial drive and global influence, stressing the need for practical and long-term cooperation.
The initiative also supports the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership Creative Industries Technical Working Group, established in March 2025 to identify commercial opportunities, address regulatory and non-tariff barriers, and promote cooperation across film and television, music, design and fashion, architecture, advertising and gaming.
Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria, Donna McGowan, said the delegation had provided opportunities for creative practitioners and institutions in both countries to exchange ideas, strengthen professional capacities and establish trusted international relationships.
McGowan emphasised the importance of ensuring that cultural exchange generated lasting value through inclusive partnerships and improved access to international networks.
She added that the relationships and insights developed during the engagements would help shape an ambitious UK-Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028.
Similarly, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, said Nigeria’s creative talent and intellectual property possessed enormous commercial potential that remained largely untapped.
Asika noted that the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership and the forthcoming cultural season offered significant opportunities to connect Nigerian creativity with wider international audiences and markets.
He stressed that the success of the partnership should be measured by tangible outcomes extending beyond 2028, including international tours, publishing agreements, television productions, fashion partnerships and the establishment of new businesses.
According to him, the ultimate objective is to develop sustainable commercial projects arising from relationships and collaborations established through the initiative.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Black British Book Festival and member of the UK delegation, Selina Brown, described her experience in Lagos as inspiring, highlighting the city’s creative energy and opportunities for professional collaboration.
Brown said her interactions with emerging and established artists, writers, publishers and industry leaders had reinforced the potential for stronger UK-Nigeria cooperation.
She advocated a genuinely reciprocal partnership in which both countries exchange knowledge, expertise and opportunities, rather than treating cultural engagement as a one-way transfer of knowledge.
Following the engagements, UK and Nigerian partners are expected to pursue priority introductions, policy discussions and business opportunities identified during the visit.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts by both countries to position the creative economy as a driver of cultural exchange, innovation, employment generation, exports and shared prosperity.
The 2028 UK-Nigeria Season of Culture is expected to provide a platform for joint creative productions, audience development, professional exchanges and commercially sustainable partnerships between the two countries.
