The Bank of Industry (BOI) has expressed its willingness to partner with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) to ensure the success of the National Summit and Exhibition on Orange Economy, slated for Oct. 6-8, 2026, at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts (National Theatre) in Lagos.
The Managing Director of BOI, Dr Olasupo Olusi, gave the assurance when he received members of the summit’s organising committee, led by the NIPSS Director-General, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, at the bank’s corporate headquarters in Lagos on Monday.
‘We don’t just want to be a sponsor but partners. We want to play a key role in forming the whole event and all the activities around it,’ he said, adding that the bank is very big on the Creative Sector because of its objective of job creation.
‘We are experts. I have a whole creative division that finances the creative sector…I don’t think there is any development institution in Nigeria that finances the creative sector more than BOI. Count in BOI support because of our big influence in the creative sector’ he said.
Dr. Olusi advised the organizers of the summit to also seek support from other like-minded institutions that can also help in making the whole event a success because, he said, ultimately it is about national development, about the economy and job creation.
Earlier, the NIPSS Director-General, Prof. Omotayo, said the summit is being organized as part of the institute’s efforts to contribute to Mr. President’s target of growing Nigeria’s economy to US$1 trillion by 2030.
‘Mr. President is so much interested in Nigeria reaching the US$1 trillion economy. In the past four years, we have been having themes that will show the pathway to us having the US$1 trillion economy.
‘Mr. President deliberately approved this topic (Orange Economy) because he likes the fact that before now, we have done three others that have direct relationship with the US$1 trillion economy and he said let us see what the theme can bring,’ he said.
Prof. Omotayo explained that every year, Mr. President charges the institute with a theme of study that concerns him the most, adding: ‘Basically, he is looking for evidence-based research and recommendations on what can be done to reach the US$1 trillion economy.’
‘So, we have started on the Orange Economy. We have conducted four studies. Our participants who are divided into seven groups of 15 each have visited seven institutions in Abuja. They have completed visits to seven states in Nigeria. We have completed visits to 14 countries, seven in Africa and seven outside Africa. We have gathered data and we are looking at this. Our experts are putting their reports together,’ he said, noting that the report will be delivered to Mr. President in November.
‘Because Mr. President has asked us to start working immediately, that is why we are having the National Summit and Exhibition on Orange Economy. We are not asking BOI to sponsor this programme. We are asking that we work together as partners to ensure that the summit is well delivered’, the NIPSS Director-General said.
In his remarks, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former Minister of Information and Culture and Managing Partner of Bruit Costaud, the consulting firm for the summit, said the National Theatre was chosen as venue for the summit because it is the natural baseline for discussing Nigeria’s creative future, being the historic epicentre of African Arts and Culture since FESTAC ’77.
‘The choice of National Theatre provides an appropriate, iconic and revitalised setting for the summit while underscoring its central message, that Nigeria’s creative and cultural assets constitute a powerful engine for economic growth, employment, investment and international influence,’ he said.
Alhaji Mohammed also said Lagos was chosen for the event because it is the undisputed creative capital and one of Africa’s leading centres for music, film, fashion, entertainment, advertising and digital creativity.
He said the Orange Economy, with 48 subsectors, is probably the most complex and most relevant economy today, adding: ‘When the informal numbers are included, we are talking of scores of millions of jobs being created.’
Other members of the committee who attended the meeting are Prof. Sola Adeyanju (mni), Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, Mr. Nosakhare Uwadiae, Mr. Steve Babaeko, Mrs. Olayemi Alaka and Mr. Segun Adeyemi.