FG, CBN collaborating to mitigate effects of COVID-19 on creative sector, says Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government is collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to provide palliative and strategic intervention to the creative industry to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on the sector.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at a virtual second African Ministerial Roundtable on the Recovery of Travel and Tourism.
The roundtable chaired by Dr Taleb Rifai, immediate past Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was attended by African tourism ministers.
“By and large, the pandemic has been very severe on the creative and entertainment industry but the government is reaching out through the CBN to provide palliatives and  intervention to cushion the effects of the pandemic,”  he said.
The Minister said that the tourism industry contributes about two per cent to the nation’s GDP  and it is the  second largest employer of Labour after agriculture.
Specifically, he said the hospitality and tourism industry employs about four million people and  contribute N1.2 trillion to the economy.
He noted that unlike some other African countries, that are rich in traditional tourism including sites, lake, leisure parks and safari, Nigeria’s area of comparative advantage are films, music, fashion beauty and hair care sectors.
Mohammed said because of the challenge of social distancing there has been no.concert, cinema houses are closed film production and distribution had been on the decline.
He noted that for cinema house to reopen the Cinema  Employers Association must put in place certain protocols that will be able to contain the pandemic.
The minister added that the government is working out plans to give the aviation industry a lump sum to support some of the industry operators.
Specifically, he said the local  airlines which have to pack their aircraft for a long time and needed to undergo checks on them would be supported.
Rifai commended the minister for his passion for the industry and the efforts he has been making to transform the  Nigeria’s tourism sector.
Some other African ministers also gave the accounts of the effects of the pandemic on the sector and what their governments were doing to mitigate the effects.