The commissioner made this known at the African Music Business Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, as part of activities marking the 9th edition of the All Africa Music Awards.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Benson-Awoyinka said the investment covered concerts, capacity-building programmes, training initiatives and production support across music, film and related creative industries.
She reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to the entertainment, creative economy and hospitality sectors, noting that sustained investment was key to positioning Lagos as Africa’s leading creative hub.
According to her, government funding for the creative sector has grown significantly, rising from N3.8bn before 2023 to N18bn, with projections nearing N40bn, reflecting the sector’s growing economic relevance and demand for structured support.
The commissioner also announced the forthcoming Lagos Talent Hunt, an initiative designed to discover, nurture and empower emerging artists across the state.
She said government-owned theatres would be repurposed into cinemas and music studios to give young creatives free access to professional recording and production facilities.
Benson-Awoyinka further stressed the government’s open-door policy, encouraging creatives to submit proposals, partner with the ministry and participate in policy discussions shaping the industry.
She added that the state had supported over 140 creative projects and organisations, hosted large-scale free public events attended by more than 100,000 residents, and continued to deploy the creative economy as a tool for youth empowerment, social inclusion and economic growth.
In her vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Bopo Oyekan-Ismaila, commended the leadership of the commissioner and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to producing globally competitive creative talent from Lagos.
She urged practitioners to engage the ministry through its official platforms and take advantage of opportunities created through public investment.
“We want to create more Burna Boys and more Davidos—global icons trained with taxpayers’ money and celebrated on the world stage,” she said.
Oyekan-Ismaila also encouraged creatives to follow official Lagos State tourism and creative economy social media platforms to stay informed about funding windows,programmes and emerging opportunities.
