The Oyo State Government has unveiled comprehensive plans to connect its local arts and crafts sector to international markets through targeted investments, export drives, and strategic collaborations. Designed to maximize the region's rich cultural heritage, tourism assets, and creative economy, the initiative seeks to generate wealth, draw investors, and expand economic opportunities across Oyo State.
Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, announced these developments during a media briefing held at the State Secretariat in Ibadan to publicize the Oyo State Business Forum 2026. Centered on the theme “Investment and Export Promotion of Arts and Crafts Business in Oyo State,” the briefing was coordinated alongside the Oyo State Investment and Public- Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA).
What strategies are being used to boost the creative sector?
Olatubosun explained that Governor Seyi Makinde's administration is actively transitioning traditional cultural celebrations into globally recognized tourism and entertainment commodities capable of attracting foreign capital. Moving away from viewing culture strictly through a traditional lens, the government now treats it as a major driver of the creative economy.
A key milestone highlighted by the commissioner was the recent inclusion of the Sango Festival on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which has significantly elevated the state's global cultural profile. Alongside the Osun-Osogbo Festival, the Sango Festival stands as one of only two events in South-West Nigeria with such prestigious international recognition, drawing crowds from Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Furthermore, the World Egungun Festival, repackaged as a tourism product in 2024, has experienced a surge in participation. According to official figures, attendance rose from roughly 6,000 to 7,000 participants in 2024 to over 17,000 in 2025, and reached more than 19,000 attendees recently, with over half coming from outside the state. Additionally, authorities anticipate an initial cohort of 25 international visitors arriving later this year for traditional cultural programs, injecting vital foreign currency into the local economy.
How are stakeholders supporting the initiative?
To ensure sustainable growth, the ministry is partnering with the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan to properly document cultural assets. Collaborations are also ongoing with the Office of the Special Adviser on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to simplify market access for local creatives.
Mr Tilewa Folami, the Director-General of OYSIPA—represented by the Director of Public-Private Partnerships, Mr Adebisi Ajayi—noted that the business forum aims to highlight profitable avenues within the crafts industry. Similarly, forum consultant Mr Lawal Akolade emphasized that the sector remains largely under-researched despite boasting thousands of active carvers, sculptors, and weavers whose outputs already enjoy global demand.
Chief Tunde Odunlade, a renowned visual artist and cultural ambassador, endorsed the government's direction, describing indigenous art as a genuinely finished export product compared to raw commodities like crude oil. He urged both public and private stakeholders to channel more resources into the sector to solidify the state's status as a foundational hub for contemporary Nigerian creativity.