The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, revealed this at an interview to reveal the Oyo State Business Forum 2026, kept in Ibadan.
The online forum, arranged in cooperation with the Oyo State Investment and Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPA) and the State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER), is themed, ‘Investment and Export Promotion of Arts and Craft Business in Oyo State’.
Olatunbosun stated Ibadan’s abundant home entertainment and cultural heritage supplied a strong structure for establishing an imaginative economy efficient in bring in global financial investment.
He stated the federal government was working to bring back the city’s historic prominence in the show business, worrying that “the financial chances in our culture and innovative market must not be left untapped.”
Mentioning the global acknowledgment of the Sango Festival by UNESCO, the commissioner stated efforts were likewise being magnified to establish the Egungun Festival into a worldwide tourist attraction.
He stated presence at the Egungun Festival increased from in between 6,000 and 7,000 in 2024 to about 15,000– 17,000 in 2025, including that the 2026 edition brought in more than 19,000 individuals and over 150 Egungun individuals.
Olatunbosun included that the celebration had actually drawn in global interest, with queries from nations consisting of Brazil, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago.
The commissioner determined Aso-Oke, conventional fabrics, style and visual arts as locations with substantial financial investment chances, stating the African Continental Free Trade Area might assist regional manufacturers gain access to global markets.
Previously, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Ahmed Bello, stated the online forum was created to display financial investment chances in the arts and crafts sector and position Oyo State as a cultural tourist location.
He stated the effort would motivate specialists to enhance their capability, establish commercially practical items and bring in private-sector collaborations.
Speaking, the Director-General of OYSIPA, Tilewa Folami, represented by Mr Adebisi Ajayi, stated the firm was dedicated to transforming financiers’ expressions of interest into real financial investments, services and work chances.
Ajayi stated the company would track potential financial investments from preliminary engagement through documents, evaluation and application, while linking business owners with appropriate federal government companies, banks and global purchasers.
He stated, “The success of this online forum will not be determined by the variety of conferences held, however by the quality of collaborations developed and the financial investments equated into concrete financial results.”
Ajayi prompted regional craftsmens and organizations to enhance item quality, product packaging and compliance with worldwide requirements, stating regional items should be competitive sufficient to permeate worldwide markets.
The owner of Tunde Odunlade Arts and Culture Connexions Gallery, Prince Tunde Odunlade, stated Nigerian modern art might contend positively with works from other parts of the world.
Odunlade, who stated he had actually practiced art in Ibadan for about 50 years, prompted financiers to check out the industrial capacity of the imaginative market.
He stated his activities had actually assisted a minimum of 30 individuals gain access to chances in China, the United States and Europe, including that the innovative sector might likewise add to Nigeria’s forex incomes.
He likewise required private-sector financial investment in tourist, declaring that Oyo State had 167 traveler centres that might be established to produce earnings and produce tasks.
The two-day online forum is anticipated to include exhibits and business-to-business engagements targeted at linking regional imaginative business owners with financiers, purchasers and advancement partners.
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