New Routledge volume spotlights Nigeria’s cultural and creative industries

By Prisca Sam-Duru

Lagos, Nigeria- Nigeria’s booming creative economy, spanning music, film, fashion, visual arts, publishing, advertising, tourism, and more, receives a rigorous, multidisciplinary boost with the release of a new scholarly volume titled “Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Industries: Perspectives, Problems and Prospects”.

Edited by Pan-Atlantic University scholars, the book offers sectoral and policy insights into Nigeria’s creative economy.

Published by Routledge and acclaimed as the first of its kind in Africa, the book is the 1st edition and spans 304 pages, including 6 black-and-white illustrations.

The book was co-edited by Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya, Dean, School of Media & Communication, Pan-Atlantic University; Dr Kizito Ogedi Alakwe, Adjunct Faculty, School of Media and Communication, PAU, and Principal Advisor at Quardott Consulting; and Dr Emmanuel Nzeaka, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Humanities, PAU.

The volume draws contributions from leading academics, creative practitioners, and policy thinkers.

“Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Industries: Perspectives, Problems and Prospects” contains 17 chapters surveying critical segments including music, Nollywood/film, fashion, visual arts, performing arts, architecture, tourism, advertising, book publishing, and digital media transformation.

While the introductory Chapters, “Cultural and Creative Industry Ecosystem” and “Conceptualising Culture” establish conceptual clarity and sets the theoretical frame; the volume examines underexplored sectors: advertising in a digitized world, architecture’s creative interface, tourism, and the fate of Nigeria’s publishing industry in a digital age.

On policy & strategy, the final chapter, “Pathways to Growth and Development: Policy Directions for Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Industries”, offers clear policy prescriptions, while a chapter on “Education and Capacity Building for the Creative Industries” interrogates how creative talent can be nurtured in Nigeria’s educational institutions.

The new Routledge volume has already begun receiving commendations from stakeholders for focusing on the Nigerian creative industry.

Praising the book, the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa, stated that the volume “critically examines existing structures, challenges, and the reforms needed to build a resilient and competitive sector.”

“The chapters build up to a value-adding relationship with each other … Highly readable,” said Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, University of Ibadan.

On his part, renowned filmmaker & media executive Femi Odugbemi stated that the book not only “maps the sector’s contributions to GDP and employment but also grapples with questions of cultural identity, skills development, and the urgent need for infrastructure.”

Beyond its academic value, this volume amplifies Pan-Atlantic University’s standing as a leading hub for communication, culture, and creative economics scholarship. The editors and contributors reflect the University’s deep engagement in bridging scholarship, policy, and creative practice in Nigeria and beyond.

Given Nigeria’s demographic dividend and growing youthful population, harnessing the creative economy is vital for job creation, national identity, export diversification, and soft power.

Therefore, “Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Industries: Perspectives, Problems and Prospects” positions creative industries not merely as cultural expressions but as engines of structural transformation.

The book is now available via Routledge, Amazon and major online retailers. Institutions can request inspection or review copies.
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