By Ayo Onikoyi

Celebrated music and creative entrepreneur, Emmanuel Akapo, has expressed concerns over the low retention rate of creative persons in Nigeria’s schools, citing inadequate support mechanisms and investment, among other factors.

According to Akapo, Founder of Tenstrings Music Institute, Black Fragrance School of Design, and International College of Creative Arts (ICCA) – the first private college for the creative arts in Nigeria, most enrollees in regular schools end up dropping out shortly after enrollment. “If you enroll a creative person to study graphics or web design, for example, there’s a 50% chance they would drop out within the first or second year,” he said.

Explaining the issue, Akapo admitted that the creative industry has the lowest formal education rate globally, meaning that people in the sector hardly pursue a first degree, masters, and so on. “It’s not because of a lack of love for education; rather, it is because the education system is not structured to support the creative industry. You can’t run a creative industry school the way you would run a science, law, or business school.”

He said the significance of this problem brought about the establishment of ICCA, adding that when properly handled, the sector has the potential to outstrip the oil and gas industry to become the most profitable sector of the economy.

Akapo queried how a successful fashion designer of ten years, having produced hundreds of apprentices and designers, is suddenly asked to start from year 1 and learn the basics of what they already know and have mastered. “Even if you do stay, how do you guarantee that after a four-year focus on strictly your studies, on return to your practice, you can pick up your A-game and succeed?”

To effectively check dropping out and proper grading of talents, Akapo said there should be a system where the creative person’s prior learning through apprenticeship, internship, and experiences through entrepreneurship is recognized, valued, assessed and awarded academic credits.

He noted that creative schools should incorporate individuality and flexibility that allows one to continue to pursue their creative lives while still studying; recognition of prior learning; and simulation of the industry, where students actively practice what they want to do or become.

Expanding on the role of his school, Akapo said ICCA leverages these elements to assist its students, partnering with schools abroad to deliver sound teachings to enable students to come out as the best in their chosen fields of study. “Our students spend the first year of a three-year program with us, and the 2nd/3rd year could be in a partner school abroad or doing their online program to obtain similar qualifications like abroad. We also assist in industry placement once they complete their program.”

He further urged the government not to relent in supporting the creative industry, given its potential to stimulate economic growth.

Emmanuel Akapo is a Nigerian creative entrepreneur, record producer, writer, and music educator. He is the founder of Tenstrings Music Institute, a music academy with multiple centers in Nigeria, and Black Fragrance School of Design, a Lagos-based design academy offering vocational training in design fields such as fashion design, interior decor, animation, photography, website, and graphics design. He has worked with notable Nigerian musicians such as Sound Sultan, Eva Alordiah, Bez, and Brymo.