As part of the unveiling, Tech4Dev released a 150-page report titled “State of Creative Innovation Ecosystem in Nigeria Report 2025”. The document offers detailed insights into the value chains of Nigeria’s film, music, fashion, and content creation industries, mapping out opportunities for global growth while highlighting challenges across production, distribution, and consumption.
Industry Impact and Significance
Speaking at the event, Joel Ogunsola, founder and president of Tech4Dev, said the launch was the beginning of a long-term effort to provide data-driven support for Nigeria’s creative economy.
“We are super excited about the support we’ve received over the last year… We think this is only just the beginning of the work we will do,” he said, noting that the tracker would help identify gaps and measure progress across the sector.
Co-founder and executive director Oladiwura Oladepo emphasized the economic importance of the creative sector, describing it as Nigeria’s second-largest employer of labour. She stressed that robust data is essential for resource allocation and policy-making.
“It will help to inform decision-making, know where to channel resources, and what areas need more investment to make the industry stronger,” she explained.
The report was based on input from over 1,700 participants through interviews and consultative sessions, ensuring a broad representation of stakeholders across the creative ecosystem.
Creative Tracker as an Open Resource
Former Tech4Dev country manager Michael John, now a senior partner at Avaara Partners, explained that the Creative Economy Tracker will remain an open-source platform, accessible to policymakers, investors, and creators alike. He said the study distinguished itself by analyzing the industry’s entire value chain, from idea generation to product distribution and monetization.
“Afrobeats is now one of the top five music genres globally, but we wanted to understand what it’s like for the average creator,” John said. “Where do they get skills? How do they monetize? What technology do they use? What is missing? This research helps provide answers.”
Global Collaboration and Next Steps
Director of the UK–Nigeria Tech Hub, Oyinkansola Akintola-Bello, noted that the tracker spans seven states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, offering localized insights into the creative economy’s performance. She said the data would play a vital role in guiding policy, investment, and innovation while creating new jobs in the sector.
Akintola-Bello added that the initiative is part of a broader UK-backed digital economy programme also running in Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia, and Brazil, designed to unlock opportunities in fast-growing creative and technology markets.
With Nollywood, Afrobeats, and Nigeria’s fashion industry already making waves globally, the launch of the report and tracker is seen as a critical step in professionalizing and scaling Nigeria’s creative economy, positioning it as a stronger driver of GDP growth and youth employment.