Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Minister of Arts Culture and Creative Economy, Hanatu Musa Musawa has lauded the interior design industry for contributing N30 billion annually to Nigeria’s economy
She asserted this yesterday in her keynote address at the 2026 Interior Design Summit held in Abuja.
The minister represented by Special Assistant to the President on Arts and Culture, Moriam Ajaga, said interior design occupied a unique position in the country’s creative economy and likened it to a discipline where the nation’s culture becomes intimate.
She lauded the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria ( IDAN) FCT Chapter for organising the Summit.
Musawa commended IDAN, Nigeria’s leading professional body of interior designers, affiliated with the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers globally for hosting the first ever African Culture and Design Festival on the continent in addition to advocating for curriculum reform and professional standards.
Musawa noted that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renew Hope Agenda, the creative economy had been elevated as a genuine driver of natural development given that Nigeria has climbed 16 places on the Global Soft Power Index.
“This is a proof that when culture is taken seriously, at the highest level of government, the world takes notice.The Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy has built on this foundation with deliberate action. Four high-level drafting committees have been inaugurated to design policy and financing frameworks across the creative sectors, including design. The Ministry’s 2023 Nigeria Everywhere strategy is embedding our creative industries into Nigeria’s global brand.We are also working to ensure that Nigerian designers have permission for Nigerian spaces. Government buildings, federal institutions, and public institutions should be showcases for our homegrown design excellence,” Musawa said.
She noted that discussions were ongoing around grants, tax incentives for design mechanisms, and investment readiness programmes, noting the ministry recognizes item advocacy for these structures.
