Without a doubt, the creative industries were among the first sectors to shut their doors in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Along with the tourism sector, creative industries were among the most affected by the pandemic and the crisis thereafter.
Investment in the creative industries could help them to become one of the most impactful economic sectors for developing countries, as they are knowledge-based and can, therefore, create jobs, increase competitiveness and generate income.
Creativity can be an integral part of multiple value chains and generate enormous benefit and competitive advantages. Creative industries can play a crucial role in building much-needed social cohesion and cultural inclusion in many developing countries, providing a nurturing ground for economic growth and welfare.
Positive impact
According to communication specialist in international development finance, Marie-Ange Nouroumby, “accelerating investment in the creative industries will help convert them into one of the most impactful economic sectors for the countries that are in urgent need of creating jobs. Developing countries have two distinct features: they are home to the youngest populations in the world and their economies remain partially informal.
The restrictions of movement during COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for a sharp increase in the viral production and consumption of creative content all over the world. The hunger for universal storylines narrated in local contexts opened the door to the rise of social media influencers and catapulted some creative products to global success. This change was enabled by using disruptive platforms and technology – often led by young people. Development partners will need to work in a concerted manner with all the relevant stakeholders.
With innovative investment, policy and by providing adequate business training, the strengthening of the operational environment of the creative industries can help lift millions of young people out of poverty. For instance, by connecting fashion to the film industry, which in turn can contribute to boost tourism and the hospitality sector, the creative industries can be a key element to catalyse the growth of developing economies.”
Value chain development
Nurten Meriçer, Creative Producer at ReHub indicated that the primary source of value in a creative economy is talent, which is equally distributed among nations. Creative products and services can pop up anywhere in the world regardless of how developed the region or country is. Creativity can also be an integral part of the value chains of other products and services to generate enormous benefit and competitive advantage.
“By taking simple measures like investing in human development, removing barriers for creative expression and adopting mechanisms of commercialisation, there are no borders for developing countries to be global players in the creative economy. Secondly, creative industries do not need high-budget infrastructure development, expensive capital investment or the exploitation of rare natural resources to grow. Considering the challenges developing countries face to reach sustainable growth, creative industries could be the most viable option for diversifying and stabilising economic activity with optimal resources.
By nature, the creative economy is populated by solo entrepreneurs and micro enterprises making it easy to enter by underrepresented groups like women and youth. Creative industries can generate income, jobs and exports faster than many other sectors. Thanks to the technological breakthroughs of the last two decades, it takes seconds for creative industry products and services to travel the world and reach global markets and audiences. Finally, creative industries can play a crucial role in building much-needed social cohesion and cultural inclusion in many developing countries, providing a nurturing ground for economic growth and welfare.”
Strategic contributions
According to Andrea King, Director of Culture and Arts for Love and Living (CALL) and Member, UNESCO Expert Facility, the creative industries can be positioned as strategic contributors to developing countries as they are knowledge-based and can, therefore, create jobs, increase competitiveness and generate income/foreign exchange.
“The nature of the creative industries is such that its ways of producing or manufacturing can be applied to, or adopted by, other sectors. The approaches to creation (innovation) and the steps to actualise ideas (processes) can be applied to other sectors or industries to increase competitiveness and productivity. Creativity alone cannot do it; however, as at the domestic level, capacity needs to be enhanced: the creators – usually micro-enterprises – need to have consistent access to working capital and distribution channels.
“Globally, the imbalance in trade has to be redressed. Copyright and IP laws have to be enforced to enable creators to benefit financially. The rapid evolution of new media creates multi-directional opportunities, which means nothing if the creators do not have access to such technology or cannot receive payments (royalties or other) for their creations. Until barriers to real growth – like the severe impacts of climate change and the opening up of colonial trade networks – are managed to create parity in the creative sector in developing countries, the real boost to the economy will not be experienced.”
Diverse benefits
Intellectual Property Expert, Tebo Motlhaping, shared her views on creative industries and their importance. “When harnessed well, the creative industry can be instrumental to leapfrog the economies of many developing countries into the much-touted knowledge economy. It can be a source of economic transformation, job creation and sustainable human development, among many other benefits. Many big economies of the world have excelled at unlocking the value of the creative industry for eons now.
“They have been able to sell their cultures and dominate the world through the creative economy sectors such as music, film and television, print media and recently social media, boosting their GDPs in the process. Developing economies can, therefore, creatively synergise the creative industry with other traditional industries like tourism, agriculture, mining, etc. to realise their value and grow their economies.
“In order to get this right, there is a need for governments to invest in the necessary infrastructure, to intentionally support and grow the industry. Further, emphasis should be put on the enforcement of copyright and intellectual property (IP) in general. The importance of the effective protection of IP rights cannot be overemphasised as this can assist in attracting both domestic and foreign investment.”
>>>the writer is a thought leader in Marketing Communications, Stakeholder Relationship Management Professional and International Cooperation Specialist. Over the last fifteen (15) years, he has made tremendous impact within Africa’s corporate communications and creative arts sectors. He can be reached at [email protected] / 233 20 854 148
The post Chris Koney’s column: How the creative industries is adding national development appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.
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