AANI President Backs NIPSS Orange Economy Summit

Okafor made the commitment in Abuja on Thursday when he received the summit’s organising committee, led by former Minister of Information and Culture and Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

He said AANI would deploy its extensive network across the public and private sectors to mobilise support for the successful hosting of the summit, scheduled for October 6 to 8, 2026, at the National Theatre in Lagos.

Okafor described the Orange Economy, also known as the Creative Economy, as a strategic sector with the potential to surpass oil in economic value and national impact if properly harnessed.

“The Summit on the Orange Economy is a very key and strategic summit because the Orange Economy, or what we call the Creative Economy, is a concept that people have forgotten, but you find out that we are so endowed with creative talents,” he said.

He cited Nigeria’s music, film, football and literary sectors as evidence of the country’s vast creative potential, stressing that the sector had yet to receive adequate policy attention, investment and infrastructure.

Okafor said Set 48 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies (NIPSS) had been mandated to research the Orange Economy and identify global best practices for developing the sector.

According to him, the National Bureau of Statistics puts the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP at about 5.2 per cent, while the Federal Government is targeting a 10 per cent contribution by 2031.

He urged the Federal Government to take NIPSS research findings seriously by translating them into concrete policies and actionable measures.

Earlier, Mohammed solicited AANI’s support for the summit, saying it was part of NIPSS’ contribution to President Bola Tinubu’s target of growing Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion by 2030.

He said the summit would provide a platform for stakeholders to explore the potential of the creative economy and develop strategies for maximising its contribution to national development.

“This should be a project the entire NIPSS family can be proud of, and no one is better placed to drive that than the alumni,” Mohammed said.

The summit is being organised by NIPSS in collaboration with Bruit Costaud.