By Rachel Ogbu

Frank Nweke Jr, Director-General of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), recently announced the inclusion of a Creative Industries Forum in the forthcoming 17th Nigerian Economic Summit scheduled for November 10-12 in Abuja. The Creative Industries Forum will hold on Saturday November 12 in the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton.
According to Nweke, it is important that we can create the enabling environment to accelerate the growth of our creative industries. “It was for this reason that we engaged Amaka Igwe and Obi Asika, CEO Storm 360 and several other bright minds in this field, to put together a strong team of creative industry practitioners, regulators, and entrepreneurs to drive this conversation and to begin the NESG’s engagement with the creative industries,” he said.
Panellists at the Creative Industries Forum at the NESG Summit will include Afam Ezekude, DG of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Ms Oyin Onile-ere, former legal director of music publishing company Warner Chappell and major record company BMG UK; Amaka Igwe, famed television and film producer; Matt Dawes, UK-based mobile media consultant; Ayo Alli, Licensed Agent, English Premier League and Media Entrepreneur and Juliet Ehimuan, Country Manager, Nigeria for Google. Eric Idiahi, CEO of digital content company, Spinlet, and founder of  Verod Capital will deliver the background presentation during the forum.
Asika thought the inclusion of the creative industry was a brilliant move. “I would like to thank Mr Nweke for recognizing the enormous potential of the creative industries. With this new engagement, the NESG promises to push our collective agenda and I am urging all leaders and players in the creative industries to participate in this important event,” Asika said.
In keeping with the Summit theme on attracting foreign direct investment, the focus of the Creative Industries Forum is “Optimizing Economic Opportunities in the Creative Industries through Global Partnership.”
This Forum aims to mark the beginning of formal engagement of the creative industries on the part of the NESG.

Oluwapelumi