RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Vice Minister of Creative Economy, Irene Umar, received an audience with the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Bambang Suharto, at the Ministry of Creative Economy Office in Jakarta on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The economic diplomacy meeting discussed collaboration opportunities to open market access for Indonesia's creative economy in Nigeria, which is seen as a strategic gateway to the wider African region.

During the meeting, Irene highlighted the enormous potential of Nigeria's creative industry, particularly the film sector through Nollywood, which annually produces around 2,500 films with an industry value of approximately US$6.4 billion. "In addition to building industry collaboration, we also need to understand market trends, community needs, and creative products that offer significant potential there," she said.

Nollywood's distribution network, which has reached various countries across the African continent, is considered to open significant opportunities for the Indonesian film industry to expand its international market. "This way, Indonesian creative economy champions can be better prepared to enter the African market sustainably," Irene Umar said.

This collaboration, not only focuses on the film sector, but also on opening export opportunities for other leading sub-sectors, such as culinary arts, crafts, and fashion, which are based on local wisdom. With Nigeria's large population and rapid economic growth, the penetration of Indonesian creative products into this market is considered to have significant long-term prospects.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Bambang Suharto, stated that the shared demographic characteristics, cultural diversity, and large populations of both countries provide strong social capital for strengthening cooperation, both in the economic and cultural fields. "This is an opportunity we need to capitalize on, not only to build a positive perception of Indonesia, but also to create economic value through various forms of cooperation in the creative economy sector," Bambang said.

As a follow-up to this meeting, the Ministry of Creative Economy, together with the Indonesian Embassy in Abuja, will encourage the active participation of national creative economy players in various international promotional and exhibition events, including the Lagos International Trade Fair. This step is expected to boost the export value of Indonesian creative products while expanding business networks in the African market.