Creatives in Plateau state have been called to form an umbrella body called the “Plateau Creative Hub”, a formidable platform that will attract the support of financial institutions, development partners, the government and others.
This was the drive as the Plateau Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency PLASMIDA today held a one-day engagement with players within the creative industry in Plateau State.
The event held at the Joshua Dariye Hall, the Jos campus of the Plateau State Polytechnic had in attendance Creative industry players including, Music Artist, Actors, Movie Producers, comedians, instrumentalists, record labels owners, bloggers, OAPs and other concerned entertainers in the state.
The Director-General of PLASMIDA, Mr. Haggai Gotap, delivering a talk, said the creative sector cannot be ignored because of the major role it plays and the ability it has to generate more income and be self-reliant. He noted that the entertainment industry contributes about 4percent of the global GDP. However several Nigerian states are benefiting from such but the same cannot be said of Plateau State despite the abundance of talent in the state and the fact that it even has global talents who started from the state. In his words “Lagos is believed to be the last bus stop for marketing but with the potentials I have seen here, we can be better than them especially through digital distribution channels.
Mr Gotap expressed sadness that the creatives were not getting the real value for their work and if nothing is done soon, it will continue to be the case as the situation in Plateau state has left much to be desired.
He called on the creatives in the state to wake up and synergize as an organized entity so as to start driving value for all creative activities in the state.
He said there was a need for a clear understanding of who the creative players were and the need to set up the sector properly so as to have unifying data that can be used to harness the various Interventions the are available.
The DG PLASMIDA called for the formation of a Union for all creatives in the state to be known as “Plateau Creative Hub”
He noted that though PLASMIDA is a government agency. But the “Plateau Creative Hub” will be owned by creatives, while the agency plays facilitation and regulatory roles, also guiding creatives through the process and providing an enabling environment.
Members of the proposed creative hub will be grouped into clusters based on their areas of expertise, aimed at identifying the different sectors in the ecosystem toward building a database for an easy partnership.
He said “the Creative Hub will meet occasionally to discuss industry successes and challenges, as well as carry out a skills gap analysis to know the kind of interventions needed.
In response, Cheif Edward Fom, representing the Association of Movie Producers, said it was a welcome idea and was long overdue, as such should be welcomed by all, he further called for immediate action.
Other responses who supported the move included Funny G, Matthew Tegha, Elmore, Eddie Oguns, Julius Comedian and Seemo Makut amongst others
