The Federal Government has said it is working on new copyright and intellectual property policies to protect Nigeria’s creative sector from piracy, exploitation, and rights violations.
The Special Assistant to the President on Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Ayomide Adeagbo, made this known on Wednesday during the opening of the Abuja Foto Festival.
Adeagbo explained that the initiative is part of ongoing efforts by the administration to strengthen the creative economy and ensure that Nigerian artists, photographers, and other content creators benefit fully from their work.
“The government is actually working on intellectual property policies for creatives in Nigeria, and it’s very vital,” Adeagbo said.
“Photography is part of the creative sector. We want our creatives and photographers to be able to own their work and have control over it. So, we’re already working on that. We’re at this level right now, and very soon, we’re going to publish it in other parts of Nigeria.”
He emphasised that photography, and the wider creative industry, can serve as a viable source of livelihood when properly harnessed.
“Photography is a source of livelihood — it must be,” he noted.
“The reason why people are jobless is that they don’t have a job. But if you have a camera or even a smartphone, you can start earning, creating, taking pictures, and producing content that brings money into your hands.
“We don’t want creatives to be idle. We want them to be busy and productive, and they can do this through photography.”
Adeagbo further disclosed that the Ministry of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy is scaling up efforts to support the creative sector through funding and equipment distribution initiatives.
“Recently, the ministry came up with the Creative Economic Development Fund to provide funding for creatives,” he said.
“We had a lot of photographers seeking support to buy equipment and improve their craft. In my office, we’re also working on the Skill Sync Initiative, which will be launched in December. Through it, we’ll be giving gadgets and equipment to creatives across Nigeria — people who need tools to be able to create.”
According to him, the new policies and funding schemes are part of a broader plan to strengthen the creative ecosystem and promote job creation in the sector.
In his welcome address, the Founder of the Abuja Foto Festival, Osaze Efe, said the annual event serves as a platform for empowering young creatives and giving them a voice in society.
“There has to be a platform that empowers and gives young people a voice,” Efe said. “This year’s theme, ‘A World Connected’, couldn’t be timelier. In a world increasingly divided by distance, culture, and ideology, photography remains one of the few universal languages—a bridge between our shared humanity and diverse realities.”
He described the festival as more than just an exhibition of images but a space for creative expression and social transformation.
“Festivals like this are not just for showcasing art. They are spaces where imagination meets reality, where young people find confidence in their expression, and where society discovers new ways to see itself,” Efe added.
“Creativity is not only a form of self-expression; it’s also a form of social investment. That’s why we work with governments and stakeholders to see how photography can be used to address the existential questions that society is asking.”
Now in its ninth edition, the Abuja Foto Festival continues to serve as one of Nigeria’s most vibrant platforms for visual storytelling, fostering collaboration among photographers, curators, and policymakers toward building a sustainable creative economy.
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