The Federal Government has rolled out new steps aimed at ending piracy and other copyright abuses across Nigeria’s creative space.
At the Abuja Photo Festival on Wednesday, the 29th of October, 2025, the Special Assistant to the President on Arts, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Ayomide Adeagbo, explained that the administration is developing fresh copyright regulations to curb infringement.
This year’s event is the 9th edition of the Abuja Photo Festival. It runs from the 29th to the 31st of October, 2025, , at the Exhibition Pavilion of the Abuja International Conference Centre, with more than 1,200 photographers participating.
The theme, ‘A World Connected’, focuses on how photography can push social change and respond to real-life issues.
During her remarks, Adeagbo said the government wants creative workers to gain full value from what they produce. She highlighted ongoing work to strengthen the creative economy, stating:
“The government is actually working on intellectual property policies for creatives in Nigeria, and it’s very vital. Photography is part of the creative sector.
“We want our creatives and photographers to be able to own their work and have control over it. So, we’re already working on that. We’re at this level right now, and very soon, we’re going to publish it in other parts of Nigeria. Photography is a source of livelihood.
“The reason why people are jobless is that they don’t have a job. But if you have a camera or even a smartphone, you can start earning, creating, taking pictures, and producing content that brings money into your hands.
“We don’t want creatives to be idle. We want them to be busy and productive, and they can do this through photography.”
She also announced that the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy will be providing support through funding and access to tools, noting that many upcoming photographers cannot afford equipment needed to improve their output.
In his welcome speech, the festival’s founder, Osaze Efe, said the gathering continues to serve as a platform for youth empowerment. He explained that many young photographers have built strong careers after showcasing their work at the festival.
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He stated, “From the very beginning, this festival has been about community a community of storytellers, dreamers, and visionaries who use the camera as a tool to question, to document, to imagine.
“Over the past nine years, the Abuja International Photo Festival has grown into one of Africa’s most important platforms for visual dialogue one that celebrates creativity, fosters collaboration, and amplifies voices that might otherwise go unheard.
“We believe that art festivals are not luxuries they are necessities. They are spaces where imagination meets reality, where young people find confidence in their expression, and where society finds new ways to see itself. Festivals like this remind us that creativity is not only a form of self-expression it is also a form of social investment.”
Efe also spoke on how photography can be used to confront social challenges. According to him:
“This year’s theme, “A World Connected,” could not be more timely. In a world increasingly divided by distance, culture, and ideology, photography remains one of the few universal languages a bridge between our shared humanity and our diverse realities,” he added.