Creatives as a critical pillar of a country’s growth
Revellers having fun during the Kenya-Germany Symposium music concert performed by H ART the BAND and Zikki Kenya at the Goethe-Institut Auditorium, on March 22, 2019. The first Kenya-Germany Symposium aimed at bringing together German and Kenyan practitioners in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI).
In my previous column, I began reviewing case studies of Cultural and Creative Industries' national strategies from various countries. I briefly touched on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) strategy, which I’d like to expound a little more today.
In 2021, the UAE launched a 10-year National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), a first of its kind in the region. The strategy identified the six main sectors in the industry, including sub-sectors and domains, for purposes of clarity and efficiency.
The main aim of this strategy is to increase the social and economic impact of CCI in the UAE, across three strategic pillars; talents and creative, professionals and business environment and enabling the business environment.
The strategy outlines an impressive 40 initiatives both at federal and local levels that promise to deliver a more vibrant CCI that will not only contribute five per cent to GDP but also make the UAE an attractive destination for creatives globally.
What I found interesting about this strategy, is that it was linked to the “Projects of the 50”, the country’s overall strategy for social, economic and political growth over the next 50 years.
This not only demonstrates the UAE’s commitment to the creative economy but also sends a strong message about the potential of the creative economy in a country’s economic transformation. The other thing I found interesting was the integration of efforts at the federal and local levels to ensure coordinated and efficient support for the industry across the board.
It is also interesting to note the strategy’s incorporation of other ministries and government agencies to support the Ministry of Culture and Youth, which will be implementing this plan. Other ministries involved in this strategy include the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development and the statistic centre.
Creative export strategy
Canada also has a noteworthy national strategy for the creative economy, whose aim is to invest directly in creative entrepreneurs. The country also launched the ‘Creative Export Strategy’ in 2018 to promote cultural production and boost the export of creative and cultural goods.
Under this strategy, creatives in Canada have access to funding and business opportunities at both domestic and international cultural events and also through Canadian embassies abroad.
In Nicaragua, the micro and small and medium-sized businesses within the creative industries have support from the government to scale up through the National Strategy for Creative Economy which is managed by the National Commission for Creative Economy.
The government is also keen on nurturing the industry by investing in spaces, infrastructure and instruments at the local level as well as embedding the creative arts into their education system.
If well thought out and implemented, national strategies have the potential to significantly impact a country’s economy. I’ll end with an excerpt from Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo: “The creative economy can be a pillar to boost economic growth for all”.
Dr Chege is a media and technology researcher.
