A reformed copyright levy is set to allocate 50 percent of collections directly to rights owners, including artists and labels, under changes completed by a joint ministerial team. Obi Asika, Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, announced the outcome at the Africa Music Business Roundtable 2026, describing it as a key structural win that ensures creators receive earnings they have previously missed, with an additional 20 percent going to the new Creative Infrastructure Trust Company.
Asika said the reform resulted from collaboration with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, the Solicitor General, and the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy. “We are a joint working ministerial team looking at that copyright levy to reform it. We have completed that mission,” he stated. He added that this is the first time such collections have been legislated at this level.
The Creative Infrastructure Trust Company, known as CITco, operates as a special purpose vehicle created from the minister’s office. It functions through a public-private partnership model. “CITco is an SPV, a special purpose vehicle, created from the minister’s office. But again, because we are mindful of public-private partnerships, it’s a PPP,” Asika explained. Funding for CITco will come from sources such as the African Development Bank and Afrexim Bank. The entity stands as a standalone institution that is government-adjacent rather than directly government-operated.
This reform forms part of wider efforts to address revenue gaps in the creative economy. Asika pointed to domestic touring as one of the biggest standout opportunities. He called for support for promoters, who take on the risks involving logistics, insurance, technical requirements, and venues.
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“We have a big base. We have 12,000-plus hotels nationally. All those hotels have halls in them,” Asika said. He noted that Nigeria also has over 600 tertiary institutions with stadiums, student unions, and gyms, along with at least 40 stadiums. Artists can start in small bars and clubs with 100 to 200 people and scale up to larger paid performances as they build their brands.
He highlighted existing talent in the country. “Some of the greatest musicians are sitting in hotel bars around the country playing cover songs every night. And they’ve got incredible voices,” Asika observed. Success, he added, requires artists to develop defined properties and brands that audiences want to connect with.
On the touring business, Asika referenced data showing 13 million tickets sold since 1989. “This is a business. It’s about selling tickets,” he said. He called for more arenas and venues to support growth in live events and sync licensing opportunities.
Collective Management Organisations will see reformed oversight in the new Gazette, with increased use of technology for transparency. This includes dashboards that allow artists and labels to monitor activity without intermediaries. The National Music Business Council will handle ancillary rights, particularly around merchandise and products.
Asika encouraged aggregation of rights to help independent artists negotiate better deals. He pointed to an ongoing partnership with Selar.com. “Registration for the On-Site Informal Economy Partnership with Selar.com, the largest creative platform on the continent,” he noted. The platform already enables podcasters, authors, and creators to sell books, courses, t-shirts, and other items. He wants similar monetisation for the music industry.
Asika also referenced earlier points on intellectual property as collateral under the new framework and the upcoming Discover Nigeria platform, which will work with telcos to reach scale. These initiatives aim to create multiple revenue streams and improve collections.
The combined measures, including the copyright levy reform and infrastructure utilisation, seek to strengthen institutions and reduce the absence of proper systems that allow money to flow out of the sector. Asika stressed the importance of transparency and private sector involvement in operations.
“More arenas, more venues, the sync licensing,” he said, outlining areas for expansion. He added that technology and reformed structures will help artists access what they have earned.
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Implementation details for the levy and CITco will be communicated officially in the coming weeks by the Nigerian Copyright Commission. Industry participants see these changes as important steps toward building a more sustainable creative economy in Nigeria, where live performances, merchandising, and ancillary rights complement digital revenue.
The focus on domestic touring leverages assets the country already possesses rather than waiting for new infrastructure. With promoters supported and rights management improved, the sector could see increased economic impact through ticket sales, direct payments to creators, and new product lines.
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Facts Only
* A reformed copyright levy allocates fifty percent of collections directly to rights owners, including artists and labels.
* An additional twenty percent goes to the Creative Infrastructure Trust Company (CITco).
* The reform was completed by a joint ministerial team involving the Minister of Justice, Attorney General of the Federation, the Solicitor General, and the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy.
* CITco is an SPV created from the minister’s office operating under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
* Funding for CITco will come from sources such as the African Development Bank and Afrexim Bank.
* The reform involves increased use of technology in Collective Management Organisations, including dashboards for transparency.
* The National Music Business Council will handle ancillary rights concerning merchandise and products.
* Artists can scale performances by leveraging existing venues like hotels or university facilities.
* Data shows 13 million tickets sold since 1989 in the touring business.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The restructuring of the copyright levy, coupled with the creation of CITco, signals a deliberate move toward formalizing and centralizing revenue streams within the creative sector. The emphasis on public-private partnerships for infrastructure funding suggests an understanding that private capital alone is insufficient to bridge significant revenue gaps, pointing toward a necessary institutional recalibration. The focus on domestic touring as a primary opportunity reveals an underlying tension between securing international digital frameworks and maximizing immediate economic activity through physical venues. This simultaneously highlights the necessity of leveraging existing national assets—hotels, stadiums, educational institutions—as foundational capital rather than waiting for new investments. The mechanism for aggregating rights, supported by platforms like Selar.com, suggests a pattern recognition that decentralized distribution requires centralized, technologically mediated oversight to ensure equitable flow. A key implication is whether this structural win translates into genuine agency for independent creators when navigating the new system and managing the private sector involvement in CITco operations.
What assumptions about existing infrastructure capacity are being addressed by focusing on domestic touring potential? How will the public-private partnership model mitigate potential conflicts of interest when distributing funds from development banks? Does the focus on revenue flow create a risk that operational transparency is sacrificed for systemic reform?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like a high-level report or transcript detailing policy announcements from a specific economic forum, showing strong grounding in verifiable entities and events.