UNDP Partners Beeta Arts Festival to Create Jobs for Young Nigerians in Creative Sector

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said it is partnering with organisers of the Beeta Arts Festival (BAF) to create more employment opportunities for young Nigerians within the country’s fast-expanding creative sector. Clare Henshaw, Head of Inclusive Growth at the UNDP Nigeria office, disclosed this during a session at the 2025 edition of the […]

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said it is partnering with organisers of the Beeta Arts Festival (BAF) to create more employment opportunities for young Nigerians within the country’s fast-expanding creative sector.

Clare Henshaw, Head of Inclusive Growth at the UNDP Nigeria office, disclosed this during a session at the 2025 edition of the Beeta Arts Festival in Abuja.

She explained that the organisation was drawn to the festival because of its focus on building creative talent and unlocking jobs for youths.

“One of the key things that attracted us to the festival was its strong affiliation with the creative sector and the opportunities it creates, particularly for jobs for young people,” Henshaw said.

According to her, the UNDP, in partnership with the European Union and the Nigerian government, is implementing the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) a $47 million initiative aimed at connecting fresh university graduates to work-ready skills and job placements.

Henshaw noted that more than 14,000 young Nigerians have been placed in organisations across the country in the past three years, with 10 percent retained in employment and 20 percent launching their own entrepreneurial ventures.

She said the partnership with Beeta Arts Festival would help connect the fellows to organisations in film, fashion, production, theatre, and other creative fields represented at the festival.

“Our goal is to introduce fellows to creative organisations that are present here today, connect them to opportunities where they can interact and find meaningful jobs. The creative sector has enormous potential, but sometimes accessing it can be difficult. This platform makes that possible,” she said.

Henshaw added that the UNDP hopes to develop a database of creative industry employers willing to absorb skilled fellows at the end of the programme cycle.

Also speaking, founder of Beeta Arts Festival, Bikiya Graham-Douglas, said she launched BAF to provide the support she never had as a young creative navigating Nigeria’s entertainment landscape.

“When I started, there were no platforms like this to help me navigate and direct me,” she said. “I’ve seen the importance of creating platforms for young people, for emerging voices. They are the future, and the creative sector has the capacity to absorb many of them.”

Graham-Douglas commended the UNDP for supporting the festival, emphasizing that building a sustainable creative industry requires shared responsibility.

“We don’t have to wait for the government to do everything. We all have a responsibility to make our society better. Our message is simple: where you can, do something to make the lives of people around you better,” she said.