Nigeria’s creative industry took a remarkable leap forward on Thursday as MySweetStories (MSS), a storytelling and digital media initiative, launched its flagship Creative Industry Playbook for Nigeria at the University of Ilorin. The event, hosted by the Centre for Cultural Student and Creative Art (CCSCA), was part of the MySweetStories University Tour 2025, designed to empower young storytellers, writers, and cultural innovators across Nigeria and Africa.
The colourful gathering at the University Auditorium attracted students, lecturers, creative professionals, and cultural enthusiasts from across the country. It featured performances, keynote speeches, dramatizations, and panel discussions all aimed at promoting storytelling as a tool for economic transformation and youth empowerment.
Delivering the keynote address, the Founder and Growth Lead of MySweetStories, Ms. Perpetual-Love Uduma, presented The Creative Industry Playbook for Nigeria — a roadmap to structure and scale the nation’s creative economy into a globally competitive ecosystem. She described storytelling as the heart of cultural identity and economic growth, noting that the Playbook was developed to guide startups, investors, government agencies, and creators in aligning their efforts for sustainable development.
Ms. Uduma explained that Nigeria’s creative industry—spanning film, music, literature, gaming, and fashion—remains one of Africa’s most dynamic growth sectors, but still faces significant challenges. These include piracy, poor infrastructure, inadequate funding, and fragmented distribution systems that limit creators’ ability to monetize their work globally.
“The Playbook provides a unified framework for collaboration,” she said. “It helps us move from raw talent to structured opportunity. Storytelling is not just culture; it is commerce, innovation, and diplomacy.”
She noted that despite Nigeria’s global prominence through Nollywood and Afrobeats, the absence of structure and strong intellectual property protection has left many creators underpaid and undervalued.
She emphasized that the Playbook proposes new funding models, better training, stronger IP laws, and modern technological integration to unlock over $15 billion in creative GDP potential within the next decade.
The MySweetStories platform, she explained, serves as a hub connecting writers, filmmakers, animators, and game developers, with a shared-profit model that ensures creators retain ownership of their intellectual property. Already, the initiative has built a vibrant community of more than 270,000 creatives across social media, with members from over ten African countries and thirteen strategic partnership with NGOs, youth foundations, and creative networks.
The event, which began with the National Anthem, National Pledge, and the University Anthem, reflected the spirit of patriotism and academic excellence that the University of Ilorin is known for. In her opening remarks, the Director of the Centre for Cultural Student and Creative Art welcomed participants and commended MySweetStories for selecting the University as the launch venue for the national tour.
She described the initiative as “a timely partnership between academia and creative enterprise,” adding that it aligns with the Centre’s mission to promote cultural literacy, creative innovation, and youth development.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, represented at the occasion, also applauded the MSS initiative for “turning creativity into structured purpose.”
He noted that Nigeria’s young population represents a tremendous resource for national development and that initiatives such as MySweetStories help to transform that potential into measurable progress.
The programme featured a variety of performances that brought energy and colour to the auditorium.
Students of the University of Ilorin staged captivating drama pieces, musical and dance performances, and poetic renditions that reflected the depth of local talent and cultural pride. The English Department presented a short dramatization on the power of storytelling in preserving heritage and inspiring social change.
Panel discussions during the afternoon session explored themes around creative economy, cultural innovation, and youth participation.
Ms. Uduma used the opportunity to introduce AfriToon Studios, MSS’s animation and adaptation arm, which focuses on transforming African stories into animated content for global audiences.
