By GRACE ‌‌‍‍‌‍⁠⁠‌‍‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌ADEJOH

The National Theatre Nigeria has launched its 2026 Creative Summit in Kano to expand access to knowledge and opportunities in Nigeria’s creative industry.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day summit, which began on Wednesday, has the theme: “Beyond Lagos: Unlocking Northern Nigeria’s Creative Economy.”

NAN also reports that the summit brought together creative practitioners, investors, development partners, academics, and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the summit, Tola Akerele, General Manager of the National Theatre, said Kano was deliberately chosen as the first city outside Lagos to host the initiative because of its rich cultural heritage and creative potential.

She said the initiative would connect talents in Kannywood, and those in visual and performing arts, to funding, knowledge, and global opportunities, while decentralising access to the tools needed to thrive.

Akerele said participants would gain knowledge on funding opportunities, financial literacy, intellectual property rights, market access, and strategies for promoting their works globally.

Hajiya A’isha Lawan-Saji, Kano State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, said the summit would help unlock the state’s vast cultural and creative resources.

Lawan-Saji said Northern Nigeria had enormous creative talents capable of generating employment, income, tourism, and investment, but required stronger infrastructure, skills, financing, digital technology, and market access.

Israel Ayide, a Public Relations and Visibility Expert, said visibility was essential to building credibility and authority, while urging creatives to focus on creating value for others.

“Visibility is not vanity, invisibility is not humility. The most credible authority is the kind other people confer on you.

“I would like to urge creatives to be useful rather than impressive, to add value before they are needed, and to consistently show up with a point of view, rather than waiting to appear perfect,” he said. (NAN)