SHAH ALAM, Sept 23 — The state’s arts and culture sector can potentially contribute RM20 billion to the nation's economic growth via the implementation of the Selangor Creative Economy Strategic Action Plan over the next 10 years.
State executive councillor for youth, sports, and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi said that currently, Selangor contributes only RM2 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) through the creative economy, based on a recent report by the Statistics Department (DOSM).
“The national creative economy sector contributes RM22 billion to the GDP, and out of that total, RM2 billion comes from industry players in Selangor. Perhaps the figure is not very large, but at least we are contributing.
“The Selangor Creative Economy Strategic Action Plan will be launched this coming November, and it covers planning for up to 10 years. During this period, we expect to generate up to RM20 billion,” he said.
Najwan was speaking during a presentation at an engagement session in conjunction with the Selangor Creative Economy Expo 2025 (SCEE25) at the MBSA Convention Centre today. The event was officiated by the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
Meanwhile, the councillor said the action plan was designed to complement the national creative economy ecosystem through policies first introduced by the ministry in 2009.
He noted that it not only involves funding processes, but also sets out to build and guide the long-term direction of the creative industry holistically.
“For the record, at the national level, we already have a creative economy policy that was formulated 15 years ago under the ministry led by Tan Sri Rais Yatim at the time. But perhaps because there was no follow-up planning, it stalled.
"In Selangor, we have been discussing the creative economy for the past two years. We will now chart a clear direction and take the lead,” Najwan said.
SCEE25, jointly organised with the Selangor Youth Community (SAY), is being held from today until tomorrow to bring together all players in the creative economy, marking the beginning of a new era of growth for the creative industry in the state.
