By Ayomide Otitoju
Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called for sustained support for Nigeria’s entertainment and creative industries, emphasising that creativity is a continuous process that cannot be exhausted.
The governor made the remarks while speaking at the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation by Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu noted that creativity evolves constantly, with new ideas, music and artistic expressions emerging daily. He urged stakeholders to continue supporting talents in the creative sector to help them grow and contribute to the country’s development.
“Creativity is creativity. Every year and every day, it grows. There’s a new idea, new music and new dance. You can never end creativity. Where one person stops is where another begins,” the governor said.
He commended Savage for establishing a platform designed to discover and nurture emerging African music talents, describing the initiative as an effort to create opportunities for the next generation of creatives.
According to the governor, the foundation reflects the singer’s desire to provide aspiring artistes with access to opportunities similar to those that contributed to her own success.
“What she is using the foundation for is to begin to develop capacity, training, and give young creatives an opportunity to receive training at the highest level in music production, mixing and other areas within the industry,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu added that the initiative would strengthen the creative ecosystem by offering professional training across different genres and technical areas of music.
The governor also highlighted ongoing efforts by the Lagos State Government to support the creative sector through training programmes and partnerships with industry institutions.
He said thousands of young Nigerians have benefited from state-backed training initiatives in music, fashion and film through collaborations with organisations such as Del York Creative Academy, Ogidi Studios and EbonyLife Group.
According to him, the state government also provides grants and funding to support training programmes and develop talent in the creative industry.
The Tiwa Savage Music Foundation was officially unveiled on March 9, 2026, at The Delborough Lagos. The initiative is aimed at discovering and training emerging African music talents while expanding access to professional education in the creative industry.
The foundation will focus on several aspects of the music ecosystem, including songwriting, music production, sound engineering, music publishing, film scoring and music therapy.
Its inaugural programme will select 100 African creatives for a free four-day intensive training session scheduled to take place in Lagos from April 23 to April 26, 2026.
The programme will be organised in partnership with Berklee College of Music, Savage’s alma mater, with faculty members expected to lead sessions on songwriting, live performance, music production and the music business.
Outstanding participants may also receive full scholarships, including accommodation, to study at Berklee. Applications for the programme are open to musicians, producers, songwriters and other music industry professionals across Africa, with the deadline set for March 20, 2026.
Beyond the inaugural training programme, the foundation plans to offer mentorship, training resources and long-term career pathways aimed at nurturing the next generation of African music professionals and connecting them to global opportunities.
The launch event attracted several prominent personalities from entertainment, business and public life, including media entrepreneur Mo Abudu, talent manager Bose Ogulu, television personality Toke Makinwa and musician Darey Art Alade.
Others in attendance were socialite Yeni Kuti, singer Johnny Drille and his wife Layal Holm, entrepreneur Shade Okoya, business executive Florence Ita-Giwa, music executive Soso Soberekon, reality TV personality Sultana and cleric Bolaji Idowu.
Political and business leaders present at the event included Olasupo Olusi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry; Adaora Umeoji, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank; and Festus Osifo, President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
