The Nigerian Government has launched a Digital Platform to leverage cultural heritage and unveiled plans to partner with an American-based company to enhance cultural diplomacy and boost the economy through a new Global Cultural Digital Platform (GCDP).
This initiative, aimed at promoting Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage on a global scale is a key project of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), which has received approval from the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa for the Institute to ‘hit the ground running’ towards a successful venture.
The digital platform, named ‘DuduPlugs,’ is designed to increase international exposure to Nigeria’s cultural assets and bolster the nation’s creative economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
Highlighting the platform’s potential impact, the Executive Secretary/CEO of NICO, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye said the Institute’s partnership with the Nigerian-American company, ACITeksystem, a subsidiary of ACI Entertainment is to create a digital platform that will provide comprehensive access to Nigerian culture via the internet and social media applications.
To him, this innovative platform will showcase Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage to the world in a way that it will attract global acceptance, accessibility, foreign exchange earnings as well as evoke appreciation, thereby strengthening its economy and international image.
“DuduPlugs is designed to function like a vast social media platform, capable of accommodating 100-200 million visitors per day. It will feature a wide array of Nigerian culture, including dress culture, films, music, indigenous languages, dance, and cuisine”.
Ajiboye believes that this platform can tap into the over 700-800 million global enthusiasts of Nigerian culture, particularly, but certainly not exclusively Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo cultures.
He stated, “Research indicates that this platform could generate substantial revenue for the Nigerian economy and increase the nation’s GDP, potentially contributing upwards to $20 billion per annum”. (US).
Ajiboye further emphasized that the platform could significantly enhance Nigeria’s cultural diplomacy, which is currently underutilized. He revealed that efforts are underway to actualize this through international partnerships and collaborations with major technology companies worldwide, which will go a long way to help our cultural identity as a people.
In preparation for the launch of ‘DuduPlugs’, a global convention, tagged “Pennsylvania 2025,” has been scheduled. This event will bring together international stakeholders from countries including Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, and Argentina.
He maintained that this assemblage of interested parties is scheduled to hold preliminary meetings in advance of the commissioning of the digital platform by the President of Nigeria, stressing that the nation has recognized the need to take our culture as important as it is onto the world stage.
“The renewed hope agenda has decided to further use culture as a focal point for the Nigerian people’s modus operandi to revolutionize the economy and shore up international diplomacy by creating a platform for global accessibility and foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
He concluded that this programme will provide millions of Nigerian children in the diaspora with the opportunity to learn and understand our indigenous languages and rich cultural heritage.
