“…Independence is also about what we build and keep,” Darey Art Alade, Co-founder, 360CO.
Every October 1, we mark our independence and reflect on the journey of a nation that continues to define itself through its people, ideas and possibilities. On Nigeria Independence Day 2026, one of the clearest expressions of who we are and what we can build is the growth of our creative economy.
Across music, film, fashion, art, technology and live experiences, our creativity has established a powerful presence on the global stage. Our music travels across continents. Our stories reach international audiences. Our designers, artists, filmmakers and creators are influencing global conversations and building businesses around ideas that originate here.
The world has recognised the value of what we create.
The opportunity now is to build the structures that allow us to capture more of that value.
Recent national data puts our creative industry at approximately $15 billion, while the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has projected that the creative economy could contribute as much as $100 billion to our GDP by 2030. Behind these figures are millions of jobs, businesses, intellectual properties, audiences and ideas moving through an economy with significant room for expansion.
Our creative economy is an important part of our economic future, with the potential to generate employment, attract investment and create new channels for wealth creation.
But global recognition is only one part of the equation.
Who owns the intellectual property we create? Who controls the platforms through which our work is distributed? Where does the investment come from? Where is the infrastructure that allows our creative businesses to scale? And how much of the value generated by our culture is retained and reinvested here at home?
These questions take the conversation beyond talent and visibility into ownership, participation and long-term economic value.
Founder and Group CEO, 360CO, Deola Art Alade, captures this next phase:
“We have proven to the world that our creative talent is limitless, and now we must match that raw energy with sustainable business structures. True cultural sovereignty happens when we focus on ownership, intellectual property, and long-term investment frameworks.”
“When we build and protect our own local infrastructure, the commercial success naturally feeds back into the creative ecosystem, allowing the next generation of Nigerian storytellers and builders to thrive on their own terms.”
Our ambition must therefore extend beyond becoming a global cultural powerhouse. We must build an ecosystem with the infrastructure to support production, distribution, investment, ownership and reinvestment at home.
That means developing the spaces where creative work is produced. Building stronger distribution and commercial networks. Creating investment structures that understand the realities of creative businesses. Protecting intellectual property. Developing the data needed to understand the sector and measure its growth. And creating pathways for more creators and creative businesses to participate in the value their work generates.
This is where the work of Closing the Gap becomes important.
There is a gap between global visibility and local value capture. Between creative talent and the infrastructure required to scale it. Between creating intellectual property and owning the economic value attached to it. Between attracting global attention and building an ecosystem capable of converting that attention into lasting economic opportunity.
Closing those gaps is a collective responsibility.
It belongs to all of us: the creators making the work, the producers and businesses building around it, the investors providing capital, the institutions shaping the environment, and the platforms creating access to audiences and markets.
This Independence Day, we can celebrate how far our creativity has travelled while asking a more consequential question about what happens to its value when it gets there.
Because independence is also about having the capacity to build, own, protect and reinvest in what we create.
We have shown the world what our creativity can do.
The next task is building an ecosystem strong enough to ensure that the value of that creativity can live, grow and circulate at home.
That is the work of Closing the Gap.
Happy Independence Day, Nigeria.