By Desmond Ekwue
25 January 2025 |
2:43 am
The Nigerian leisure trade continues to evolve, presenting alternatives for additional progress if systemic challenges are adequately addressed. Nollywood, the nation’s movie trade, is widely known as one of many largest globally
The Nigerian leisure trade continues to evolve, presenting alternatives for additional progress if systemic challenges are adequately addressed. Nollywood, the nation’s movie trade, is widely known as one of many largest globally, rating alongside Hollywood and Bollywood. Its vibrant storytelling and emergence of celebrated actors have pushed substantial progress, with projections from the Nigerian Leisure Convention (NECLive) estimating Nollywood’s income to hit a staggering $14.82 billion by 2025.
Nonetheless, this success has additionally created misconceptions. Many assume that Nollywood, with its huge viewers, is self-sufficient and not requires strategic intervention. As Movie Director and Anthill Studios founder Niyi Akinmolayan factors out, this view is outdated: “There’s a disconnect between what’s really occurring within the trade and authorities stakeholders. They nonetheless assume our movie trade is the Nollywood of the 90s.”
Challenges Dealing with NollywoodThe trade’s present trajectory highlights vital gaps that hinder its world competitiveness. Poor funding, inconsistent insurance policies, insufficient infrastructure, a lack of awareness, and protracted piracy are vital challenges. Whereas non-public and international investments have stuffed some gaps, reliance on these sources has implications for native content material management and accessibility. Authorities help, although well-meaning, has usually been inadequate. For example, the Inventive Economic system Growth Fund (CEDF) launched in December 2023 offered a promising initiative, however its restricted attain—benefiting simply 4 actors and producers—undermined its potential influence.
Untapped Alternatives in Kids’s ProgrammingA significantly uncared for section of Nollywood is kids’s programming. This area of interest holds monumental potential to foster inclusivity, strengthen cultural narratives, and create future trade leaders. Akinmolayan highlights the importance: “In a world crammed with leisure choices, it’s important to seek out movies that encourage and ignite curiosity in our youngsters. Sadly, the native movie trade has usually neglected this section.”
Anthill Studios has begun addressing this hole with productions like MIKOLO, a kids’s movie designed to encourage massive goals and resilience. The movie’s world success underscores the demand for family-centric content material rooted in African tales.
Why Authorities Involvement is CrucialGiven the prevalence of unwholesome content material in world media, authorities intervention is important to advertise high-quality, Africa-themed kids’s programming. Non-public sector sponsors usually draw back from funding kids’s content material as a consequence of its perceived lack of economic attraction. In the meantime, international traders like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have develop into dominant gamers in Nollywood, driving investments but in addition elevating considerations about cultural preservation and revenue repatriation.
Strategic authorities motion might tackle these challenges by way of:Specialised Funding: Establishing grants and subsidies for youngsters’s content material creators.Coverage Course: Implementing rules to make sure a quota for domestically produced kids’s programming on broadcast platforms.Capability Constructing: Supporting coaching colleges to nurture expertise in animation, screenwriting, and movie manufacturing for youthful audiences.Infrastructure Growth: Investing in movie studios and post-production amenities geared up for youngsters’s programming.
The Broader Impacts of InvestmentA sturdy deal with kids’s leisure would yield far-reaching advantages. It will instill cultural values in youthful generations, promote social cohesion, and improve Nigeria’s delicate energy globally. For Nollywood, it represents a chance to diversify content material and income streams, making certain long-term sustainability.
Constructing a Aggressive LandscapeWith the fitting insurance policies and monetary help, Nigeria might place itself as a worldwide chief in kids’s leisure. Akinmolayan sums it up: “We aspire to create a panorama of Nigerian leisure the place each baby can discover inspiration, pleasure, and life classes within the tales that unfold on display.”
The federal government’s lively participation might be sure that the sector turns into not solely a supply of nationwide satisfaction but in addition a worldwide powerhouse for culturally wealthy, high-quality kids’s programming. The time to behave is now.Ekwue is a Lagos-based content material creator and social commentator
