British Council stresses role of collaboration at creative industry expo

The British Council has highlighted the importance of shared knowledge and resources in building a robust creative ecosystem in Nigeria.
At this year’s edition of the Creative Industry Expo in Lagos, organised in partnership with the Ford Foundation, stakeholders who spoke at the event said collaboration was very critical to the development of the creative industry.
The speakers shared their experiences, expertise, vision and strategies for building collaborative work practices and gave examples of the diverse forms of collaboration taking place both in Nigeria and around the world.
There was much discussion around the issues of trust, values, having clear parameters or agreements and the need to develop a mindset that is open to collaboration.
The 2014 British Council Creative Expo, tagged ‘Collaboration: The power of shared knowledge and resources in building a creative ecosystem’, featured top-level speakers from Nigeria, United Kingdom and South Africa. They include Ojoma Ochai, director, arts, British Council; Emma Clarence, National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts, UK; Paul Nwulu, Ford Foundation; Oliver Marlow, Studio TILT, UK; Chris Ihidero, CEO PinPoint Media; Chike Maduegbuna, CEO, Afrinolly; Leslie Donna Williams, founder of Impact Hub, South Africa; Femi Longe, co-founder, CCHub; Marc-Andre Schmactel, director, Goethe Institut; Seyi Taylor, co-founder, Tech Cabal; Nkiru Asika, CEO, Enterprise Creative; Kenya, and Andrea Burns, ROCO UK.
“We are pleased to have encouraged entrepreneurial activity through the Creative Industry Expo. The creative industry is exciting and important for a number of reasons particularly because it provides a viable alternative for income generation for Nigeria’s youths and also affords opportunities for collaborative initiatives across sectors of digital technology, visual arts, commerce and more,” said Bex Nwawudu, executive director, CBO Capital, a Lagos-based financial advisory firm.
Also speaking, Ore Disu, director, Nsibidi Institute, said it was truly a noteworthy event marked by many passionate entrepreneurs proposing solutions to real problems and gaps in Nigeria and Africa at large, adding that the energy in the room was palpable and would hopefully carry on beyond the event.
“Collaboration is key, particularly in the current climate we are in – whether it comes in the form of a hub or simply the diverse exchanges that happen as people move beyond the confines of a singular project, skill-set or business focus. Yes there are issues of trust, ownership and more, but if managed well, the trade-offs far outweigh the risks,” he said.
Interspersed with the presentations, four young entrepreneurs gave short testimonials tagged #MyCollaborationStory, telling how collaboration had helped each of them grow in business and as individuals.
A group of hub-owners also held a moderated action-planning session to identify and take decisions on the key steps needed to develop more collaborative working within the creative sector.
One of the highlights of the expo was the entrepreneurs pitching contest which featured eight shortlisted entrepreneurs pitching to the audience and evaluated by a panel of three judges – Leslie Donna Williams of Impact Hub, South Africa; Tola Akerele of Bogobiri House and iDesign and Olufunbi Falayi, co-founder of Passion Incubator.