The Federal Government has been urged to establish a specialized bank for creatives, similar to those supporting agriculture and industry, in other to provide financial lifelines and propel Nigeria’s youth-driven creative sector into a global powerhouse.

The call was made on Thursday by Aminat Olajide, an Abeokuta based creative.

Aminat, who is the founder of The Artitude Centro, explained that the bank of creatives would help empower young artists, designers, writers, musicians, and other creatives to scale their businesses, create jobs, and boost the nation’s economy.

While appreciating the Ogun State government for fostering an environment that allowed businesses to flourish, Aminat argued that more support was needed to close the unemployment gap and empower young people and entrepreneurs.

She said, “Government is trying but they could do better in supporting creatives and young people who are trying to do something to help the economy and boost the GDP of the country.

“The government can actually support us by creating some kind of collaboration or partnership. There’s a financial constraint, if we have access to funding and grants this will enable us to empower others and the youths.

“Yes. I’m not sure there’s anything like, bank of creatives, I mean we’ve seen bank of industry, bank of agriculture. But if the government can actually create something like bank for creatives, we can take our proposal to them and they will better understand and key into it unlike other banks.

“You see people in agriculture winning a lot of grants because of course it involves feeding and all of that, but there are lots that we all are doing in our various industries that the government should look into, key into and help put a spotlight on us.”

Speaking earlier at the event, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Ogun State Chapter, Mrs. Oluwaseun Boye, advocated for convenient policies and tax free holidays for young, growing and small businesses.

Boye bemoaned the ‘get rich quick’ syndrome among Nigerian youths, stressing that government support should prioritize passionate, hardworking entrepreneurs building legitimate businesses.

She said, “The government can create enabling environment, let’s have tax-free holidays for growing businesses to thrive especially young businesses, sole proprietorship, small scale businesses and many others.

“They can also help small businesses to grow by making polices that are convenient for people. If I want to start a business for instance, if the policy of government are very stringent and difficult and frustrating it can demoralize, but when the government encourages them through loans, soft grants and start up funds then, the sky would be their limit.”

Meanwhile, Olamide Lawal, the Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor on Youth Development, pointed out that the Dapo Abiodun-led administration is doing everything to foster a supportive environment for public-private partnerships, and encouraged youths to take advantage of the opportunities that are accessible to them while shunning crimes.

Female artist urges FG to create dedicated bank for arts, creative industry