The Lagos State Government has announced a substantial investment of over ₦8 billion in sponsoring 143 cultural festivals over the past year.
EpeInsights reports that this was aimed at bolstering the creative arts sector and attract investors to the entertainment industry and to equip young individuals with skills to reduce youth restiveness and social vices.
Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, shared this information during a ministerial press briefing in Alausa.
In addition to festival sponsorships, the state issued endorsement letters to 124 creative stakeholders to aid them in securing sponsorships for their initiatives.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy to preserve cultural heritage, stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities, and enhance Lagos’s global media presence as a leading cultural destination in Africa.
The government has also focused on youth empowerment, training over 10,000 Lagos youths in various creative disciplines, including filmmaking, production management, cinematography, and digital media.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the state is working on regulating and formally registering beach operators to improve safety, environmental sustainability, and service standards along Lagos’s waterfronts.
Notably, cultural centers like the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History and Freedom Park have attracted over 50,000 visitors during festival days in the past year, highlighting the growing interest in Lagos’s cultural offerings.
These initiatives align with the state’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda, focusing on Tourism, Health, Education, Making L
agos a 21st-century economy, Entertainment, and Security, with the ‘+’ representing additional areas of development.
Overall, Lagos State’s significant investment in cultural festivals and creative arts underscores its commitment to positioning itself as a vibrant cultural hub in Africa, fostering economic growth, and providing opportunities for its residents.
