The Federal Government has approved
N300 million out of the three billion naira intervention fund for
capacity building to boost the Nigerian film industry.
This
is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by Mr Paul
Nwabuikwu, Spokesman for the Minister of Finance and Coordinating
Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“Action on the
three billion naira support promised the Nigerian film industry by
President Goodluck Jonathan has formally commenced with the roll out of a
N300 million capacity building fund.’’
The statement noted that
the capacity building fund was the first of a series of initiatives
planned under “Project Act Nollywood’’, adding that It was made up of
two components.
According to the statement, the first component
is a Training Fund of N150 million, dedicated to training and skills
acquisition for Nollywood practitioners in all competencies along the
entire value chain of the industry.
The statement said it
includes; scriptwriting, directing, production and production design,
special effects, lighting, sound, HD techniques, acting, cinematography,
make-up and editing, among others.
It said that the second component was the Capacity Development Fund which was also worth N150 million.
According
to the statement, grants will be given to existing Nigerian-owned
private institutes that offer training courses, programmes, and
technical certification in the movie industry.
The statement said
the fund might be used to upgrade existing facilities, procure
equipment and develop internal capacity to offer a set of courses and
training programmes that would address key skills gaps.
It said
that institutes to benefit from the fund must have a prove of
registration from Jan. 1, 2013, and be competent enough to train people
according to global best practices.
The statement said that the
intervention Project ACT Nollywood, would be managed by the Coordinating
Minister for the Economy and the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke.
Okonjo-Iweala
in the statement said the establishment of the fund underscored
government’s commitment to supporting Nollywood in recognition of its
contributions to the economy.
“This is the first of the
initiatives planned under Project Act Nollywood, and it shows that the
president is keeping his word to the industry and to Nigerians.
“Nollywood
deserves this support because it has added value to the economy by
creating jobs and acting as an ambassador to the country.
“It is
also projecting Nigeria to many parts of the world that hitherto, knew
little or nothing about the country,” it quoted Okonjo-Iweala as saying.
It
said that the overall objective of Project Act Nollywood was to support
the industry in a sustainable way that practitioners could leverage on
to improve their capacity and output in key areas.
“The fund is
open for applications from July to December 2013. Courses commencing
after Dec. 31st are eligible provided the application is received before
Dec. 31 2013.’’
It said that guidelines for applications
indicated that applicants must be Nigerians and industry practitioners
among other requirements.
