The Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, yesterday received the High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, Ambassador Abhishek Singh, during a courtesy visit focused on strengthening long-standing ties and expanding bilateral collaboration across culture, music, film, tourism, and the wider creative economy.

The Honourable Minister emphasised the immense potential for transformative partnership between both countries. She highlighted Nigeria’s rich cultural assets, creative strength and growing global influence, noting that stronger collaboration with India can further unlock opportunities in film, music, audio-visual production, heritage promotion and tourism development..

She recognised India’s remarkable global leadership in film, culture and creativity, particularly the influence of Bollywood, which has long inspired industries across the world including Nigeria’s Nollywood. The Minister reflected on the craftsmanship and storytelling traditions preserved in Indian cinema, and how these traditions continue to shape cultural appreciation worldwide.

Ambassador Abhishek Singh reaffirmed India’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Nigeria. He emphasised the strong and friendly relationship between the President of India and the President of Nigeria, highlighting that both nations share mutual respect and a long history of positive diplomatic engagement. He noted that this goodwill at the highest levels of leadership provides a strong foundation for renewed collaboration in culture, tourism, film, music and creative innovation.

The High Commissioner explained that India views Nigeria as a valuable cultural and creative partner, acknowledging the global footprint of Nollywood and the growing international appeal of Nigerian music and storytelling. He expressed India’s readiness to explore co-production opportunities, training exchanges, technical support in the audio-visual sector and expanded cultural diplomacy initiatives.

Both parties agreed on the importance of collaboration in an evolving global creative economy that rewards innovation, cultural exchange and partnerships built on mutual benefit. The meeting concluded with a shared determination to explore new frameworks that will deepen cultural relations, expand tourism cooperation and support creative-sector development between Nigeria and India.