Lagos State Creative Industry Initiative (LACI) To Empower Creative Talents With Free Skills Training

Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussu launches initiative in partnership with Del-York Creative Academy and Ebonylife  to provide practitioners in the Lagos Creative Industry with world-class skills.

Lagos, Nigeria, 23 February 2020 – The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has officially launched the Lagos State Creative Industry Initiative (LACI) at a brand unveiling ceremony today. The aim of the initiative is to make Lagos a destination for a skilled, well-trained workforce for the creative industry, thereby boosting the state’s economy as the sector continues to thrive.

LACI will serve as a training platform for practitioners in the creative sector on the use of modern technology, to enhance the content and quality of Nigeria’s entertainment. The objectives of LACI are in line with two of Lagos State’s development pillars – education & technology and entertainment & tourism – and will help to attract film productions from around Nigeria, the rest of Africa and the world.

As part of its strategy to fast-track the output of LACI, Lagos State is partnering with two creative firms, EbonyLife Media and Del-York Creative Academy, to enhance the skills and exposure of approximately 1,500 practitioners in the State’s creative industry. In 2021, through the Creative Lagos programme, Del-York will offer a hybrid of online and offline courses for approximately 1,000 students, in Filmmaking, Media, Arts, Technology, and Digital marketing. EbonyLife Creative Academy will offer free, practical three-month courses for up to 480 learners, covering all aspects of filmmaking and media content production.

According to Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Hon. Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, the establishment of Lagos State Creative Industries Initiative (LACI) is a critical step towards making Lagos the main hub for Africa’s creative industry. “LACI is a continuation of Lagos State’s commitment to supporting our creative industry, as we drive towards leading Africa in this area and being recognised as a centre of excellence for filmmaking in particular. With a growing pool of practitioners with world-class skills, our creatives can build profitable ventures and enterprises that provide investment and employment for our young people,” she said.

Dr. Linus Idahosa, founder of Del-York Creative Academy, commended the state government’s commitment. “Thanks to the unwavering commitment of Governor Sanwo-Olu, our Creative Lagos project will harness talent, technology and technical education to ensure that all participants are exposed to the cutting edge of innovation, making them invaluable to local and global film production companies while creating high-quality contents in Lagos. We are delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative.”

The CEO of EbonyLife Creative Academy, Mo Abudu, expressed her delight at the partnership with Lagos State through LACI. “Without the support of the Lagos Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture we would not be able to provide filmmaking courses of this quality free of charge. Our most talented minds cannot afford to go abroad for training, so EbonyLife Creative Academy is bringing world-class trainers to Lagos – it’s an amazing opportunity for anyone wishing to improve their technical skills,” she said.