AANI President: Security is Primary Enabler of Economic Growth, Entrepreneurship, Innovation
Linus Aleke in Abuja The President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), Ambassador Emmanuel Obi Okafor, has called for a secure, stable and enabling environment to unlock
Ambassador Emmanuel Obi Okafor, the President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), underscored the critical role of security in unlocking Nigeria's creative industries and fostering economic growth. Speaking at the 5th Distinguished AANI Alumni Lecture, Okafor emphasized that a secure and stable environment is essential to enable entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development.
The lecture, themed "The Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Security as a Primary Enabler," gathered a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, and industry leaders. Okafor highlighted the immense potential of Nigeria's creative sectors, such as music, film, fashion, and digital content creation, to stimulate economic growth and employment.
However, he stressed that these sectors' true potential could only be realized through sustained investment in various areas, including skills development, infrastructure, access to finance, digital connectivity, innovation, and intellectual property protection. All of these elements necessitate a secure and predictable operating environment.
Okafor urged policymakers to adopt a broader conception of national security that extends beyond traditional territorial defense to include economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, education, human capital development, social inclusion, and the protection of creative enterprise. The Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, echoed Okafor's sentiments, emphasizing that Nigeria's creative talent and entrepreneurial energy could only translate into sustainable economic transformation if the necessary institutional and security conditions were met.
Omotayo noted that ideas thrive in environments where institutions are in place, innovation is invested in, and entrepreneurship is encouraged, all of which require a secure context. Rear Admiral Emmanuel O. Jaiyeola (Rtd.), in his keynote address, identified the Orange Economy as a promising avenue for inclusive and sustainable development in Nigeria.
He emphasized that security was the "invisible infrastructure" upon which economic transformation depended and called for greater collaboration among various stakeholders to create an enabling environment for the growth of the creative economy. Comrade Issa Aremu, Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, highlighted the potential of the Orange Economy to create employment and livelihood opportunities for Nigeria's large youth population.
He stressed the importance of formalizing the informal sector to enhance security, regulation, access to finance, social protection, and institutional support for entrepreneurs and creative practitioners. Professor John Wade contributed to the discussion by advocating for an integrated approach to nurturing Nigeria's creative economy, emphasizing the need for appropriate institutional structures, skills, infrastructure, investment, and security.
The 5th Distinguished AANI Alumni Lecture reinforced the shared commitment of NIPSS and AANI to promote evidence-based policy discourse, strengthen the interface between knowledge and public policy, and generate practical recommendations for harnessing Nigeria's vast creative potential in support of inclusive, secure, and sustainable national development.
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