UNESCO Plans Training of Nigerian Artists on Financial Stability
James Sowole in Abeokuta
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has disclosed a plan to train no fewer than 500 young Nigerians on financial stability with the use of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in 2023.
The Organisation disclosed this in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, during a workshop themed ‘Utilizing Digital Platform to Enhance the Creativity of Artists for more Revenue’.
The workshop was organised through its Institute for African Culture and International Understanding.
Speaking at the workshop, the Director of the Institute, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, noted that young creative and cultural artists in the nation were being hindered from enhancing their creativity due to the lack of access to proper skills and tools and the ever evolving nature of technology.
Okebukola said the institute convened the programme in order to teach participants on how to navigate the world of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) so as to encourage the promotion of their cultural works in the digital environment, generate more revenue for themselves as well as become self-reliant.
He said: “It is common knowledge that technology is one of the major key drivers of economic growth of all countries and regions. The digital environment is constantly evolving. Everyday, new platforms, applications and updates are being introduced.
“The lack of access to proper skills and tools on the part of these artists is a limiting factor that has hindered their ability to enhance their creativity, hampered access to platforms to promote their goods and services and limited their ability to reach more people and generate more income.
“It is based on this premise that the UNESCO Institute for African Culture and International Understanding is organising this program to teach artists on how to navigate the world of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) so as to generate more revenue.
“In 2023, the Institute is planning to train over 500 young people on how to be financially stable with the use of NFTs and this programme is the first step towards realising this goal,
The convener of the workshop, Dr Ayo Tella disclosed that the essence of the programme was to educate participants on how to get good value for their creativity through increased income generation which can be made possible through the effective, efficient and judicious use of the internet.
Tella appealed to Nigerian youths to take advantage of the training as well as the internet and the many opportunities it has made available to them so as to get equal value for their work.
He said: “Gone are the days when you had a work of art like painted pictures and locked it up somewhere without taking full advantage of the income one could make from it. Opportunities are now available to place it on the internet, sell it and make profit. I want to tell those who have creativity in terms of music, art work, anything created with their skills that they can get good value for that skill by utilizing the internet to its full potential.”
