Nigeria Generates N30bn Annually from Interior Design Industry, Musawa Reports

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hanatu Musa Musawa praised the interior design sector for generating N30 billion each year for Nigeria’s economy.

She made the statement during her keynote address at the 2026 Interior Design Summit in Abuja.

Represented by Special Assistant to the President on Arts and Culture, Moriam Ajaga, the minister highlighted that interior design holds a distinctive place in the country’s creative economy, describing it as a field where national culture becomes deeply personal.

Musawa thanked the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) FCT Chapter for organizing the summit.

She praised IDAN, Nigeria’s leading professional body of interior designers and a member of the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers, for hosting the continent’s first African Culture and Design Festival and for its advocacy of curriculum reform and professional standards.

Musawa noted that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renew Hope Agenda, the creative economy has been positioned as a true driver of sustainable development, a shift that helped Nigeria climb 16 places on the Global Soft Power Index.

“This is proof that when culture is taken seriously at the highest level of government, the world takes notice. The Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy has built on this foundation with deliberate action. Four high‑level drafting committees have been inaugurated to design policy and financing frameworks across the creative sectors, including design. The Ministry’s 2023 Nigeria Everywhere strategy is embedding our creative industries into Nigeria’s global brand. We are also working to ensure that Nigerian designers have permission for Nigerian spaces. Government buildings, federal institutions, and public institutions should be showcases for our homegrown design excellence,” Musawa said.

She added that discussions are underway regarding grants, tax incentives for design mechanisms, and investment readiness programmes, noting that the ministry is advocating for these structures.