UK-Nigeria Tech Hub Unveils Creative Fund To Strengthen Local Production Capacity

According to Ireporter Online, the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub has unveiled its Creative Fund, a first-phase grants initiative designed to close critical technical capacity gaps within Nigeria’s film, fashion, and music industries.

The initiative, announced in a statement by Ndidiamaka Eze, aims to strengthen local digital production capabilities, encourage the adoption of modern creative technologies, and support the responsible integration of artificial intelligence across Nigeria’s creative value chain.

The programme aligns with the UK-Nigeria Economic Transformation and Investment Partnership launched in March 2025, as well as commitments made during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom in March 2026.

Funded under the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme and implemented by Tech4Dev, the Creative Fund is informed by findings from the 2024 State of the Creative Innovation Ecosystem in Nigeria report. The study, which drew on over 1,700 responses across seven states, estimates that Nigeria’s creative sector employs about 4.2 million people and contributes approximately $3 billion annually to GDP, while also highlighting challenges such as limited formal training, restricted financing access, and reliance on outsourced technical services.

Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, Oyinkansola Akintola-Bello, described the fund as a strategic intervention aimed at addressing skill shortages, infrastructure limitations, and access barriers to advanced creative tools, noting that it would enable Nigerian creatives to produce and scale high-quality content locally.

The fund will support projects across film, fashion, and music with strong potential for scalability, impact, and job creation. It will also subsidise access to specialised professionals including VFX artists, sound engineers, post-production editors, and designers, alongside digital tools such as asset management systems, content delivery platforms, digital rights management solutions, and AI-powered production technologies.

Country Manager for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa at Tech4Dev, Abraham Akpan, stated that the initiative is structured to expand access to skills, tools, and financing, particularly for women-led and youth-focused creative enterprises, while strengthening the link between technology, culture, and entrepreneurship in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Applications for the Creative Fund are now open to creative companies, studios, production houses, fashion businesses, and music labels with clearly defined technical needs. Selection will be based on project quality, potential local and global impact, and demonstrated co-investment commitment. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis via the official portal.