ART-PRENEURSHIP: GOV'S AIDE COMMENDS INGENUITY OF ART ENTREPRENEURS IN AKWAIBOM

Art articulates a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, audio or performing arts, while expressing the author's imaginative conceptual ideas or technical skill, intended to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Therefore whether visual art which includes painting, sculpture and architecture or literature, Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts. Arts contributes $763.6 billion to the U.S. economy, more than agriculture, transportation, or warehousing. Also, the arts sector employs 4.9 million workers across board with earnings of more than $370 billion.

In interpreting the theme for the celebration of 2020 World Entrepreneurs Day in AkwaIbom themed:'Innovation & Entrepreneurship’, It will interest you to know that opportunities for Tourism -Art related Enterprises were highlighted, in a view to working ways to scale up tourism-art related enterprises in the state.

On a working trip to a cross section of arts related enterprises, the Special Assistant to Governor Udom Emmanuel on Entrepreneurial Development, Mrs Meflyn Anwana supported creative talents that make up several components of the art eco-system, in form of knowledge sharing, seed investments and accelerator launch pads to fire up as well as proliferate the economic impact of arts and cultural productions, making it a value-added contributor across the value chain.

Akwa Ibom State has been an incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship over the years, His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel has beamed light and ignited the spirit of enterprise, while creating the environment for entrepreneurs to thrive as catalysts of a vibrant economy. Clearly, as a people we must ask ourselves how we can continue to produce future innovators and entrepreneurs, looking beyond crude oil to other natural resources deposited in our domain.

Mrs Anwana noted that angel investments when explored, would cause a boost in the arts and craft sector, considering the opportunities that abound.

Meanwhile, Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) offers an insightful picture of the impact arts has on the U.S economy.

Although the COVID - 19 Pandemic has created a lot of challenges, that has evoked concerns globally, the year 2020 is hereby demanding the ingenuity of deep thinkers and problem solvers, hence this commendation of the Akwa Ibom State Government for the entrepreneurial drive of whole systems and sects to consider alternative income sources in the post COVID era.

Nelson NseAbasi writes from Etinan.