Deadline: May 30, 2025
Applications are open for the Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF) 2025. The CEDF is designed to catalyze growth, innovation, and sustainable financing for Nigeria’s creative and cultural industries, in line with the government’s commitment to creating jobs, stimulating economic diversification, and boosting Nigeria’s global cultural footprint. This Fund represents a significant national investment in the creative sector, recognizing its potential as a driver of economic growth and cultural diplomacy.
The key objectives of the program are:
- Stimulating Growth in Creative and Cultural Industries: Providing the capital injection needed for businesses in sectors such as film, music, fashion, art, publishing, gaming, cultural tourism etc., to expand production and reach new markets.
- Increasing Access to Finance: Opening up new financing avenues for creative entrepreneurs and organizations, including those who previously lacked access to traditional bank loans or investors.
- Supporting Job Creation and Economic Diversification: Empowering creative businesses to scale up will lead to the creation of new jobs and livelihoods, especially for youth, while diversifying Nigeria’s economy beyond oil and other traditional sectors.
- Leveraging Intellectual Property (IP) as an Asset: Establishing a transformative model for securitizing and collateralizing intellectual property. Creative talents will be able to leverage their IP (such as film rights, musical works, or digital content) as viable assets to secure financing – a pioneering move to unlock the value of Nigeria’s rich creative content.
Benefits
- Capital for Growth: Access funding to expand businesses in film, music, fashion, visual arts, publishing, gaming, and cultural tourism.
- Increased Access to Finance: Creative entrepreneurs and small organizations can now access non-traditional financing—even without collateral or bank history.
- Job Creation & Youth Empowerment: Grow your creative enterprise, generate employment, and contribute to Nigeria’s economic transformation beyond oil.
- Leverage Intellectual Property (IP): Use your intellectual assets—like film rights, music, or digital content—as collateral. For the first time, IP is bankable.
- Boost Nigeria’s Global Cultural Footprint: CEDF positions Nigeria as a cultural powerhouse, funding creativity that resonates worldwide.
Eligibility
- Open to Creative entrepreneurs.
- Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in cultural sectors.
- Startups and organizations across Nigeria’s creative value chain.
- Youth-led businesses and talent-focused ventures.
Application
For more information, visit Creative Economy Development Fund.
