The United Kingdom and Nigeria have intensified efforts to strengthen bilateral partnerships in the creative economy, connecting businesses, cultural institutions, policymakers and practitioners from both countries to explore new investment opportunities, expand international market access and develop collaborations ahead of the UK-Nigeria Season of Culture scheduled for 2028.

The renewed engagement followed the conclusion of a UK Creative Sector Delegation visit to Lagos, which brought together 17 creative industry professionals from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for engagements with Nigerian counterparts across film, television, music, fashion, design, literature, theatre, visual arts and other creative sectors.

The programme, which featured targeted business meetings, industry roundtables and activities around the Africa International Film Festival, Creative Africa Nexus Weekend, Lagos Fringe and Art X Lagos, provided opportunities for participants to exchange expertise, establish professional relationships and explore commercial partnerships with potential to expand the reach of creative products and services in both markets.

Beyond cultural exchanges, discussions focused on the practical challenges confronting creative businesses and the interventions required to unlock the sector’s economic potential, including skills development, intellectual property protection, rights management, access to finance, production capacity, commissioning, distribution and access to domestic and international audiences.

The engagements also advanced the implementation of the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) Creative Industries Technical Working Group, established in March 2025 to bring government and industry representatives together to identify commercial opportunities, address regulatory and non-tariff barriers and promote collaboration across film and television, music, design and fashion, architecture, advertising and gaming.

British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, said Nigeria’s creative industries offered significant opportunities for international partnerships, given the country’s exceptional talent, entrepreneurial energy and growing global influence.

He said the UK was committed to becoming a practical and long-term partner by connecting Nigerian creative businesses and institutions with expertise, professional networks, financing opportunities and international markets.

“Nigeria’s creative industries combine exceptional talent, entrepreneurial energy and global influence. The UK is committed to being a practical, long-term partner, connecting Nigerian creative businesses and institutions with expertise, networks, finance and international markets.

“These engagements have been about creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration. Their success will be measured by what happens next: the relationships that continue, the barriers that are addressed and the opportunities that develop into lasting benefits for people and businesses in both our countries,” Baxter said.

The programme forms part of broader preparations for the UK-Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028, which is expected to provide a platform for showcasing the creative capabilities of both countries, promoting cultural exchanges, developing new audiences and facilitating commercially viable partnerships.

Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria, Donna McGowan, said the delegation had created opportunities for creative practitioners and institutions to exchange ideas, develop professional capabilities and establish trusted relationships across international borders.

She stressed that the objective of cultural diplomacy should extend beyond temporary exchanges to generating lasting economic and professional benefits through wider access to international networks and collaborative opportunities.

“Creativity thrives when talented people have the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop their skills and build trusted relationships across borders. This delegation has connected creative practitioners and institutions from Nigeria and the United Kingdom, creating space for them to learn from one another and explore areas of shared interest.

“For the British Council, the priority is to ensure that cultural exchange creates lasting value. The relationships and insights developed through this programme can support future collaboration, widen access to international networks and help shape an inclusive and ambitious UK-Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028,” McGowan said.

Following the engagements, British and Nigerian partners are expected to sustain the relationships established during the visit through priority business introductions, policy discussions and the development of partnership opportunities with potential for further investment and commercial collaboration.

Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, said Nigeria possessed considerable creative talent and intellectual property whose commercial potential could be expanded through stronger international partnerships and improved access to global markets.

He described the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership and the forthcoming Season of Culture as important platforms for converting Nigeria’s creative resources into sustainable businesses, exports and employment opportunities.

“Nigeria has an extraordinary depth of creative talent and intellectual property, much of which is still waiting to reach its full commercial potential. The opportunity before us is to use the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership and the Season of Culture to help bring more of that creativity to audiences and markets.

“For me, the real measure of success will be what lasts beyond 2028: the tours, collaborations, publishing deals, television projects, fashion partnerships, and new businesses that grow from the relationships we are building now. We want to be able to look back and point to tangible projects and say, ‘that came to life through the UK-Nigeria Season of Culture 2028’,” Asika said.

The emphasis on commercially sustainable relationships also resonated with members of the visiting British delegation, who highlighted the importance of reciprocal partnerships that recognise the expertise and creative capabilities of both countries.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Black British Book Festival, Selina Brown, described her experience in Lagos as inspiring, citing the city’s creative energy and the opportunities to engage with emerging and established artists, writers, publishers and industry leaders.

She said the visit had reinforced the potential for deeper collaboration between the British and Nigerian creative industries, stressing that successful partnerships should be based on mutual learning rather than a one-directional transfer of knowledge.

“Lagos has been absolutely incredible. The freedom, creativity, and energy I’ve experienced here are unlike anything I’ve encountered anywhere else in the world. In just one week, I’ve met emerging and established artists, writers, publishers and leaders across the creative industries, and I’m leaving deeply inspired.

“Nigeria’s creative sector feels full of possibility, and I already know I have to come back. There is so much the UK and Nigeria can learn from one another, and that exchange should be genuinely mutual, rooted in collaboration rather than the idea that knowledge only flows in one direction,” Brown said.

The broader engagement reflects growing recognition of the creative economy as a driver of employment, exports, innovation and international influence, while positioning the UK-Nigeria partnership to explore opportunities in the commercialisation of intellectual property, creative enterprise development and cross-border investment.

For Nigeria, the challenge will be to translate its expanding creative influence into stronger production capacity, sustainable financing, effective intellectual property protection and improved access to international distribution networks.

The anticipated UK-Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028 is therefore expected to build on the relationships established through the current engagements, with the longer-term objective of producing tangible commercial partnerships and expanding opportunities for creative professionals and businesses in both countries.