Nigerian creative professionals are losing a substantial share of their working time to administrative duties, payment disputes and other non-creative tasks, with nearly one in five spending more than half of their weekly productive hours away from actual creative work, a new industry report has found.
The findings are contained in The State of Nigeria’s Creative Economy 2026 report by NECLive, based on responses from 377 professionals across advertising and marketing, digital content creation, film and video, music and audio, technology and gaming, design, fashion and other creative fields.
The Brandspur Brand News reports that 83% of those surveyed lose at least 10% of their productive time each week to administrative responsibilities, while 53.6% lose more than a quarter of their working time. The report identified this loss of productive capacity as an “administration tax” weighing on Nigeria’s growing creative economy.
The survey showed that 34% of respondents spend between 26% and 50% of their productive time on non-creative activities, while 30% lose between 10% and 25%. Another 19.6% reported losing more than half of their weekly working time to administration, leaving only 17% who said such activities account for less than 10% of their productive hours.
For freelancers, creators and other independent professionals, the problem can translate directly into lost earning opportunities. Time spent arranging logistics, sourcing materials, following up with clients or resolving payment issues is time that cannot be used to produce work, develop new projects or pursue additional clients.
Payment delays emerged as a particularly significant problem. More than half of respondents, 51%, identified payment disputes as a source of friction when working with others, pointing to persistent weaknesses in the financial relationships that underpin creative collaborations.
The report also ranked opaque payment processes and delayed royalties as the third-largest source of waste in creative production, behind unexpected on-site expenses and equipment breakdowns or supply-chain delays. The findings suggest that improving payment systems could have an impact on productivity alongside efforts to increase access to capital and equipment.
NECLive said the underlying challenge reflects weaknesses in the financial and legal infrastructure supporting Nigeria’s creative industries compared with more mature creative markets. It estimated that recovering even half of the time currently lost to administrative work could potentially double productive output without requiring equivalent increases in staffing or funding.
The issue is particularly significant for a sector that already employs an estimated 4.2 million people, according to figures from the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and The Creative Economy. As the industry expands across music, film, fashion, digital media, advertising, gaming and other fields, inefficient systems can impose costs on both individual creators and the businesses that depend on them.
Infrastructure problems add another layer of pressure. An estimated 90 million Nigerians lack access to electricity, according to the figures cited in the report, forcing households and businesses to depend on generators or invest in alternative power systems. For creative professionals working with computers, cameras, recording equipment and other power-dependent tools, unreliable electricity can further disrupt production.
Transport is another drag on productive time, particularly in Lagos. Traffic congestion can consume several hours of a commuter’s day, reducing the time available for client meetings, equipment sourcing, production and other income-generating activities.
The combined burden highlights a broader productivity challenge within Nigeria’s creative economy. For many professionals, the obstacle is not simply finding clients or securing funding but having enough uninterrupted time to turn creative skills into finished work and income.
As Nigeria looks to expand the economic contribution of its creative industries, the report’s findings suggest that reforms to payments, contracts, logistics, infrastructure and other support systems could be as important as investment in the creatives themselves.
