By Mcphilips Nwachukwu & Laide  Akinboade

As the 2011 and the 4th edition of African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo was  declared open by President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan penultimate week in Abuja, It is hoped that  Africa and Nigeria as a whole would take advantage of the benefits inherent in the expo in developing the region’s cultural economy.

With the theme, ‘Promoting the Crafts Industry For Economic Transformation’, President Jonathan who was represented at the expo by Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Capt. Caleb Olubolade  said that arts and craft if fully utilized would help to curb some of the unemployment challenges the nation is facing.

According to the President, apart from tackling the unemployment challenges, art and craft can help to earn foreign exchange for the country and also attract foreign investors into the country.

He said he also hopes that the expo will help in bringing together all the African countries especially the West African countries that are participating in the expo.

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“This laudable initiative is reflective of our administration’s determination to maximally use our huge potential and rich heritage in the effort to diversifying our economic base from over dependence on oil and gas. We have come out with policies to stimulate the growth of other sectors in the economy.

There is no doubt Art and crafts represent a very veritable investment opportunity which is yet to be meaningfully exploited, I am therefore glad that  AFAC has been initiated as the effective platform that would create the much required consciousness that would enable us to take the structure look at this vibrant sector.” He said.

It would be recalled that in the pre-colonial era , cultural industries played  important roles in tracking the growth of rural economies through abundant array of crafts and ancillary industries that served as adjuncts to farming.

These were obvious in ivory, bronze, brass, leather works, textiles, basketry and glass casting produced in the different cultural regions of Africa..

The theme of this year expo, Promoting the Crafts Industry For Economic Transformation is aimed among other objectives to develop, grow and promote market for arts and craft resources towards curbing unemployment and also helping in wealth creation for art craft practictioners and marketers.Continuing President Jonathan reasoned that  the expo would help to foster a better relationship among Africans and participants at the expo adding that : “I do hope that by the end of this Expo, a legacy of a sustainable synergy among participants would have been initiated with a view to enhancing the opportunity for marketing of African Arts and Crafts to the global community.”

The Minister of  Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed,  who was represented by the by Director Tourism, Mrs. Sola Olumeko said the expo is an opportunity to generate revenue from other sectors which were hitherto not given adequate attention.

“I am happy to say, that it is this challenge that has crystallized into expo, which seeks to explore, grow, develop, promote, market and generally leverage our arts and crafts sector to enable us achieve the desired economic empowerment for our people, especially, the rural populace.

“Beyond the immediate, AFAC Expo, will also promote import and export of African arts and craft world-wide, sensitize investors as well as attract public, private partnership to the industry.” He said.

According to the Minister, ”It is imperative for the nation to  tap into the resources of this expo and other related efforts to grow and market the crafts industry of the region which is also a platform for exchanging economic and socio-cultural integration and cooperation which the African Union Charter seeks to promote.”

In her own remarks, the representative of the ECOWAS commission, Mrs. Rubby David stated that AFAC Expo has posited itself to be on the cutting edge for the creation of a common cultural market with an abundant array of the creativity of the African people who are globally recognized for their rich cultural heritage.

“I want to congratulate you on the success of this expo while reiterating that as a region with diverse cultural propensity, the socio-economic dimensions of development must thrive on the establishment of a common cultural market that would promote the export of our cultural industries and attract investors.

Since culture is globally acclaimed as fundamental dimension of economic development and is dynamic instrument that affects humanity in every stratum of life at any given time, events of this nature will go a long way in projecting important aspects of our cultural heritage.” She said

She also  noted that AFAC is assisting ECOWAS Community citizens in their capacity for innovation, adaptation and improvement of their living conditions through promotion of sustainable developments that safeguard solidarity, unity, free movement and inter mingling of peoples as well as exchange of goods and services, promotion of human rights, development of regional tourism, promotion of culture of peace and the fostering of regional integration processes.

At the opening of the expo, 11 African countries namely; Senegal, South Korea, Gambia; Togo and Cameroun as well as Benin, Ghana; Pakistan, Niger, Mali and Guinea were present.