NAN-ELS-8
Industry
By Olanrewaju Akojede
Lagos, Nov. 17, 2016 (NAN) Raphael Uche, a movie director and producer, says that if the right type of investments are made in the nation’s entertainment industry, it will likely steer the nation out of recession.
Uche told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that the government must take proactive steps to exploit the opportunities that abound in the sector.
“I must state clearly here that the current economic downturn in the country is quite a difficult one.
“The government has been trying to diversify the economy but has yet to look into entertainment industry now, this the time to take advantage of the opportunities in the industry.
“There are big opportunities government can take in terms of investment. This sector is a critical one that could produce instant result and that is tourism.
“In the U.S, the biggest contributor to the economy in the State of California is not Information Technology or other fields; Hollywood remains the highest contributor; that is entertainment industry,’’ he said.
In terms of earnings from movies produced from Nollywood, the entrepreneur said that the requisite infrastructure must be put in place to harness the derivable benefits from the industry.
“In 2015, Global Box Office posted a record of 38 billion dollars earnings from Hollywood. The figure is there for everyone to see. This is how big the industry is,’’ the producer added.
Uche said that if Nigeria could go the way of the U.S. by investing in the entertainment industry, tourism could provide the much needed foreign earnings.
“If the Nigerian government can support the entertainment industry by providing loans for equipment, other countries will be willing to shoot their films in Nigeria knowing that we have the infrastructure.
“When talking about investment in entertainment industry, not only is the U.S. reaping the reward, there is also Bollywood in India which is the second largest in the world.
“We have been clamouring for this investment for some time now, but no one seems to take us seriously, this has resulted in colossal loss of revenue.
“Entertainment remains the major drive of tourism; over the years people travel all over the world just to watch the Oscar Awards.
“Imagine how much the airlines will rake in from tickets alone,’’ he said.
Uche told NAN that the movie industry was currently endowed with thoroughbred professionals that were contributing immensely to its development.
“We now have an industry that is governed by experts because of the availability of various courses in entertainment in our tertiary institutions.
“Education has played a major role in redefining the industry. Many of the players in the industry are now graduates in the field; so they are doing things professionally.
“The graduates are more professional in their roles than those who are not because they are trained; they tell more of the stories and bring more creativity into play,’’ he said. (NAN)
KOJE/PCN/ERO/PDE
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(Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Peter Ejiofor)