Liberia and Nigeria Begin New Chapter in Creative Economy Cooperation

For Immediate Release

The Liberia National Tourism Authority (LNTA), in collaboration with leaders of Liberia’s creative sector and key government stakeholders, convened a high-level engagement with Liberia’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Ambassador John Ballout, and Mr. Chuks Akamadu, a Nigerian creative economy executive and Managing Director of AfriCultour.

Mr. Akamadu is visiting Liberia at the invitation of Liberian music icon Tamba Boakai (“Tan Tan”), son of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.

The meeting formed part of a broader two-day series of engagements aimed at strengthening cultural, creative and economic cooperation between Liberia and Nigeria while laying the foundation for a new platform of collaboration between the two countries’ creative industries.

“Our Liberia. Our Nigeria. A New Beginning for the Liberia–Nigeria Creative Economy.”

The initiative seeks to move Liberia–Nigeria relations beyond traditional cultural exchanges toward practical economic cooperation by promoting investment, market access, entrepreneurship, skills development, content creation, tourism promotion and job creation within the creative economy.

The engagement follows an earlier strategic meeting involving the Director General of the Liberia National Tourism Authority, Princess Eva Cooper; Ambassador John Ballout; Mr. Chuks Akamadu; Liberia’s Ambassador for Entertainment, His Excellency Korte Bazzie; and Mr. Zubin Cooper, Regional Coordinator for Mano River Week of the Mano River Union and Secretary General of the Musicians Union of Liberia. During that meeting, participants began exploring opportunities for deeper collaboration between the creative sectors of Liberia and Nigeria.

Today’s discussions brought together representatives from across Liberia’s creative industry, including Mr. Barcolleh Porompaye, Creative Economy Manager at LNTA; Mr. Abdul Karim Sheriff, President of the Liberian Movie Union; Prince Toe Israel, Vice President for Administration of the Musicians Union of Liberia; Mr. Joseph Tia, Vice President for Operations of the Musicians Union of Liberia; Mr. Zubin Cooper, Secretary General of the Musicians Union of Liberia; along with other creative industry leaders and stakeholders.

Building the Creative Economy as an Economic Driver

Participants agreed that Liberia’s creative economy should be recognized not only as a cultural asset but also as a strategic economic sector capable of attracting investment, creating businesses, generating employment and contributing meaningfully to national economic growth.

Key areas identified for collaboration include:

• Cultural entrepreneurship and creative business development;
• Music, film, television and digital content;
• Tourism, heritage and destination promotion;
• Creative skills development and professional exchanges;
• Access to Nigerian and wider African creative markets;
• Joint productions, events and cultural festivals;
• Creative investment and private-sector participation;
• Digital platforms and creative technology;
• Youth entrepreneurship and employment; and
• Intellectual property development, protection and commercialization.

Mr. Chuks Akamadu, Chief Executive Officer of AfriCultour, brings extensive experience in Nigeria’s creative economy and the pan-African cultural events ecosystem. His engagement in Liberia is expected to help establish practical partnerships between Liberian creatives and Nigeria’s well-developed entertainment, cultural entrepreneurship and commercial creative industries.

Participants also emphasized the importance of leveraging Nigeria’s experience and market infrastructure while ensuring that Liberia develops its own distinctive creative economy identity, strengthens intellectual property ownership and expands commercial opportunities for its creative professionals.

Towards a Liberia–Nigeria Joint Creative Economy Framework

At the conclusion of the two-day engagements, participants initiated discussions toward the development of a Liberia–Nigeria Joint Creative Economy Framework.

The proposed framework is expected to establish areas of cooperation among public institutions, creative unions, private-sector enterprises, cultural organizations, investors and creative entrepreneurs in both countries.

Its long-term objective is to support the transformation of Liberia’s creative economy from one largely dependent on project-based support into a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem where creatives can build viable businesses, commercialize intellectual property, access regional and international markets, and create employment opportunities.

The initiative also recognizes the demographic significance of the creative industries in both countries. With Liberia and Nigeria home to predominantly youthful populations, participants believe the creative economy can serve as a powerful driver of youth employment, entrepreneurship and inclusive economic participation.

Connecting Culture, Tourism and Commerce

The Liberia National Tourism Authority believes Liberia’s rich cultural identity, music, film, fashion, heritage, cuisine, festivals, tourism assets and creative talent present significant opportunities to attract visitors, investment and international recognition while creating new sources of income for Liberians.

The emerging Liberia–Nigeria partnership therefore aims to connect culture with commerce, creativity with entrepreneurship, and tourism with sustainable economic development.

Next Steps

The LNTA and participating stakeholders will continue consultations to identify priority initiatives, institutional partners and implementation mechanisms for the proposed joint creative economy framework.

The process will include further engagement with relevant Government of Liberia institutions, Nigerian creative economy stakeholders, private-sector partners, development partners, investors, creative unions and regional organizations.

Participants expressed a shared commitment to ensuring that the partnership delivers tangible opportunities for creatives, entrepreneurs, young people and businesses in both countries.

A New Beginning

Liberia and Nigeria share longstanding historical, cultural and people-to-people ties. The emerging creative economy partnership seeks to transform those connections into meaningful economic opportunities that benefit both nations.

“Our Liberia. Our Nigeria. A New Beginning.”

The Liberia National Tourism Authority looks forward to working with the Governments of Liberia and Nigeria, creative sector institutions, private enterprises and cultural leaders to build a more connected, innovative and economically vibrant African creative ecosystem.