By Anita Dennis
Nigeria’s creative and digital economy has emerged as a fresh focus of investment discussions between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and French businessman Vincent Bolloré, with the Bolloré Group signalling plans to deepen its operations in the country across entertainment, film and fibre-optic infrastructure.
President Tinubu held talks with Bolloré in Paris recently during the second phase of his working vacation in Europe. The discussions involved the group’s media and digital interests, including Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group. According to the Presidency, Bolloré and his executives outlined new investments centred on Nigeria.
The proposed expansion would deepen the localisation of the group’s operations across film, entertainment, fibre-optic infrastructure and related sectors. The Presidency said the investors view Nigeria as a major driver of Africa’s cultural economy, supported by the international reach of Nollywood and Afrobeats.
For Nigeria, the discussions come as the government seeks to position the creative and digital sectors as sources of jobs, investment and export opportunities. Rather than treating cultural influence simply as a soft-power asset, the administration is seeking to connect it more directly with production, infrastructure and commercial activity.
President Tinubu welcomed the proposed expansion, saying Nigeria’s growing global cultural influence creates an opportunity to bring more production, investment and jobs into the country.
He said the government would continue supporting investments that expand the creative and digital economy, develop local talent and strengthen infrastructure, while positioning Nigeria as a base for companies serving African and international markets.
The President linked the strategy to the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the government wants an economy where Nigeria’s talent, enterprise and global cultural reach can generate greater opportunities and improved livelihoods.
The investment discussions also place infrastructure alongside content and entertainment. Fibre-optic networks are critical to the digital economy, supporting broadband connectivity, streaming, digital services and other technology-enabled businesses. Deeper investment across these areas could therefore connect Nigeria’s cultural production with the infrastructure required to distribute and monetise it at scale.
The Bolloré Group’s interest is significant because its Nigerian footprint already spans important parts of the media and digital ecosystem. Its interests include Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group, giving the group exposure to television, entertainment and music.
The Presidency said the group described Nigeria as the “spearhead of Africa’s cultural renaissance”, citing the global success of Nollywood and Afrobeats and international demand for Nigerian creative content.
That proposition reflects a broader shift in how Nigeria’s creative economy is being positioned. The country’s music and film industries have built substantial international audiences, but converting that reach into larger domestic production capacity, infrastructure investment and employment remains a key challenge.
The Paris discussions therefore place localisation at the centre of the investment conversation. Bringing more production and related operations into Nigeria could increase demand for local talent, technical services, creative professionals and supporting businesses.
However, the announcement does not yet provide details on the value, timeline or specific structure of the new investments. The economic significance will ultimately depend on the projects that emerge from the discussions and their implementation in Nigeria.
The investment talks formed part of a wider engagement between Nigeria and France during Tinubu’s stay in Paris.
In another development, the French President Emmanuel Macron hosted President Tinubu for a private dinner at the Élysée Palace. The Presidency described the engagement as reflecting the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and France and their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
President Tinubu said the conversation with Macron reaffirmed “the strong friendship between Nigeria and France” and their commitment to deepening cooperation and building a mutually beneficial partnership. He also thanked the French president for his hospitality and friendship.
The sequence of engagements gives the Paris leg of the President’s working vacation an economic and diplomatic dimension. While the Macron meeting centred on bilateral relations, the Bolloré discussions focused more specifically on private investment and Nigeria’s creative and digital economy.
For Nigeria, the immediate opportunity lies in converting international interest in its cultural output into deeper local investment, stronger digital infrastructure and more commercially sustainable creative businesses. The challenge will be ensuring that announced investment translates into production capacity, skills, jobs and long-term value within the Nigerian economy.
