Mo Abudu has been appointed as the Creatives Champion for the upcoming UK-African Investment Summit.
The announcement was made by the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, The Rt. Hon James Cleverly, during the Creative Industries event at the Residence of the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos on August 1, 2023.
On her appointment and the work ahead of her, Abudu said, "This recognition fills my heart with immense joy and gratitude, knowing that our collective dedication to the creative industries has been acknowledged by the UK Government. There is much work to be done to move the creative sector forward, and there is no better time to start than now. I look forward to meeting with the various stakeholders in our sector across the continent, forging connections, and building bridges that will foster collaboration, innovation, and transformative progress in the creative domain."
As part of the UK-African Investment Summit, the first-of-its-kind UK-Nigeria creatives side event will be held in London in April 2024 to promote and project the creatives sector in Nigeria and other African countries and UK-African collaboration in this field.
The Summit will serve as a bridge connecting nations, cultures, and aspirations and aims to strengthen UK-African partnerships, create jobs and foster growth, support talent in sectors such as finance and technology, and promote women entrepreneurs.
Abudu's latest role comes months after the Nigerian filmmaker joined forces with Idris Elba to empower African storytellers.
On collaborating with the popular actor, the EbonyLife Media founder said, "We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world. It's our mission to offer the best in industry education, mentorship, and production opportunities so that our graduates can become valuable contributors to the global media landscape. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and Black stories have to offer global audiences."
The 58-year-old believes that her partnership with Elba will help improve the growth of Nollywood's local projects, incomes, and revenues.