Nigeria’s proposed Creativity and Technology Advisory Council will involve innovators that would shape policies to drive the development of the creativity industry in the country. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this on Monday when he visited Ventures Platform Hub, Abuja, which provides support, funding and linkages to Startups and Entrepreneurs solving problems in Africa.
“Some of the policies that need to make this environment friendly have to be developed by those who are already doing the work,” Osinbajo said, noting that “unless somebody who is actually involved sits round the table with policy makers and is able to say this is what the problem is we can’t resolve it easily,”
He said the council, which would be set up in the next couple of weeks, would have some of the innovators as part of the council.
He said some Nigerians were already doing a lot in the area of funding of startups, citing the Tony Elumelu Foundation as an example of organizations funding startups in Nigeria.
The vice president said more activity should be developed around the public sector, but pointed out that the problem with the public sector was not being able to define the scope of funding to be provided for startups.
“Public sector tends to probably have more money, but also very experienced and can do something that is big and grand but really doesn’t get to the depth that it needs to get or the people that you ought to get to,” Osinbajo said.
He said government would work together with innovators to get more startups on board.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Vice President on Innovations, Ife Adebayo, said tremendous progress has been made in different fields.
Mr. Adebayo said the Google Impact Programme has promised to give out $2million to 12 Nigerian startups.
