The Department was birthed as part of effort of this new administration to transform the country’s creative landscape and increase the country’s GDP through the contribution of the culture sector’s revenue/inputs from visual arts; cinema, audiovisual, literatures, music ,video games, performing arts, fashion, etc to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

          It is instructive to note that the meeting of ECOWAS Minister’s of Culture Conference held in Abuja n 2011 resolved that member states should establish the Department of Cultural Statistics and Data Application in all the Ministries of Culture in the Sub-Region. The purpose is to measure the contribution of Culture into the National Economy by providing data for planning and investment purpose. To this end two (2) Cultural Officers were trained by ECOWAS and AU for effective take-off of the proposed Department.

It is in the light of the above that the Cultural Statistics and Liaison department is charged with the responsibility of carrying out and harnessing the statistical data of cultural products and services to determine its overall contribution to internally generated revenue and sustainable national development.

The department consists of three divisions namely;

• Cultural Statistics North; 
• Cultural Statistics South; and
• Cultural Liaison.

The Mandate of the Department is as enumerated below:

• To Create and manage a comprehensive Data Base for Nigeria’s Art, Culture and the Creative Economy;
• Establish a network and synergy of Data Bank and Tracking System between the Ministry, Parastatals and Stakeholders;
• Monitor and implement the status of Cultural Policy initiatives among the Parastatals under the supervision of the Ministry and relevant Stakeholders;
• Determine the contribution of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy to employment and wealth creation in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as GDP.