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 include; 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

Read more here

The post Nollywood: FG Approves N300m For Capacity Building appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.

Liberian singer, Maitta Fahnbulleh popularly known as DD has called on actors and movie makers in the Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, to produce movies that reflect true African culture; stating that the industry holds a ‘magic wand’ over Sub Saharan Africa.

“I fight a lot with my Nigerian actor colleagues because they hold the magic wand today on this continent. The power of Nigerian movie is right across the sub Saharan Africa”. She said.

She said the stories told in Nollywood movies do not reflect African values adding that “good stories can be told”.

Speaking about her career, Nollywood and her country during an exclusive interview on Channels Television, she said the media has been dominated by foreign ideals and cultures.

She said  “the media has been overtaken by a lot of foreign culture,” which African children are watching and emulating and stakeholders in the industry aren’t countering this.

Maitta Fahnbulleh grew up with her grandmother who would usually take her to ‘Aladura’ church services. At age 5 or 6, she fell in love with the music at the church services.

Speaking about Liberia being tagged a “war ravaged” nation by international media, Fahnbulleh said “it is”.

She disclosed that information released by the Carter Centre show that 40% of citizens in the country live with mental illness as a result of the war.

The first Liberian civil war was an internal conflict in Liberia from 1989 until 1996. In 1999 the second civil war broke out.

Read more here

The post Nollywood Holds “Magic Wand” Over Africa – Maitta Fahnbulleh appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.

Two years after President Goodluck Jonathan pledged to support Nigeria Nollywood movie industry, the federal government has announced commencement of action on a N3 billion intervention fund.

It is starting with N300 million for capacity building under the project ‘Act Nollywood,’ a statement issued by Mr Paul Nwabuikwu spokesman of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said.

The presidential intervention is managed by the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke. This will come in two phases with the first being a Training Fund of N150 million dedicated to training and skills acquisition for Nollywood Practitioners in all competencies along the entire value chain of Nigeria’s movie industry, it said.

These include Scriptwriting, Directing, Production and Production Design, Special Effects, Lighting, Sound, HD Techniques, Acting, Cinematography, Make-Up, Editing, etc.

The second component is the Capacity Development Fund which is also worth N150 million. It will give grants to existing Nigerian-owned private institutes that offer training courses, programs, and technical certification in the movie industry.

Read more here

The post Nollywood N3 Billion Intervention Fund Takes Off appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.

— A top African Union official says Africa has everything it needs to move toward a prosperous future and to become a leading player in global affairs.  AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says Africa has many hurdles to overcome, but she remains optimistic that the continent is up to the task.

The African Union is celebrating its 50th anniversary. AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says this is a time for reflection – a time to look at past failures and successes, as well as to reflect on where Africa will be 50 years from now.

She says Africa has succeeded in liberating itself from its colonial past, but has not succeeded in becoming prosperous.  She says Africa is poor, but need not remain so.  She says Africa has a dynamic youthful population, hard-working people and countries endowed with minerals and other resources.

Zuma is the first woman to hold the AU Commission Chair and is a former foreign minister of South Africa.  She says Africa must quickly develop its infrastructure to prosper.  It must develop its transport, energy and ICT sectors.  She says this would unlock the continent’s potential so it can expand its internal trade and develop a flourishing tourist trade.

“We think that if we handle ourselves well, our resources well, invest in our people, we can be prosperous.  But, we must also continue on the process we have started, which is going very well of democratization of our countries.  And, most of our countries now are democratic and they are having regular elections,” said Zuma. 

The AU commission chair does not gloss over the huge problems that exist, such as ongoing conflicts in Mali and Sudan, widespread corruption and criminality.  But, she says these problems can be overcome, reduced or contained. 

For example, she notes that 20 years ago, there were some

Read more here

The post AU Says Africa Should Move Toward Prosperity appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.

Researchers pledge to help governments put to use recommendations the Economic Report on Africa 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 17, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ – At the launch of the ECA-AU Economic Report on Africa 2013, in Central Africa, today, a college of university dons expressed their satisfaction at the quality and relevance of the document and said they were quite ready to support governments across Africa, and that of Cameroon in particular, to implement the recommendations of the Report. Launched at the University of Yaounde II, in Soa, Cameroon, the Report urges African countries to engage in commodity-based industrialisation in order to accelerate the continent’s growth, solve its problems of unemployment and quicken its economic transformation.

At the launch, Cameroon’s Minister Delegate in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, in Charge of Planning, Mr Yaouba Abdoulaye, described the report as timely and said his country’s Government will heed the prescriptions from ECA and the AU Commission. He said several aspects of the Report’s recommendations were already being executed within the framework of the county’s Growth and Employment Strategy which is already in its fourth year of execution.

“The Economic Report on Africa 2013 is a formidable piece of research,” said Ms Marie Delaventure Amougou, who represented the Association of Employers (GICAM) to review the publication in the context of Cameroon. She said the country required huge investments to kick start real work in the manufacturing sector. She blamed the slack nature of the sector on a poor enabling environment for business, the absence of economic zones and the gaps in the development and distribution of modern technologies including Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

The Rector of the University of Yaounde II in Soa, Prof Oumarou Bouba said the Report was of strategic

Read more here

The post Researchers pledge to help governments put to use recommendations the Economic Report on Africa 2013 appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.

NUSOJ Condemns Closure of Newspapers in Somaliland

MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 17, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ – The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) today accused Somaliland authorities in northwest Somalia of seeking to annihilate independent print media following a ban on two newspapers, owned by Hubal Media Group.

A court order which was issued by Somaliland’s Marodi-Jeh (in Hargeisa) Regional court on 11 June 2013 ordered the Hubal Media Group to close down its operations with immediate effect without giving reasons for the action thus affecting both the daily Somali language (Hubal) and weekly English language (independent) newspapers, which are both published by Hubaal Media Group.

“This closure plays to an agenda of an administration that is more about stifling independent voices and free reporting,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “It is further proof that media continue to be primary victims of a crackdown by Somaliland authorities to avoid hard truths and public exposure.”

The regional chief magistrate Faysal Abdullahi Ismail said the court order arose from a request from the office of the Attorney General, which was signed by acting Attorney General Adan Ahmed Musa and affects any printing house that facilitates the production of the Hubal media group publications while the ban exists.

The motive behind the closure of the media group is a news article Hubal newspaper published pertaining to the on-going dispute of Nile River between Egypt and Ethiopia in which the newspaper alleged that Somaliland administration has role in this dispute, siding one of the disputing countries, according to the editor–in Chief of Hubal newspaper Abdullahi Adan Omar, widely known Wayab.

“The decision of the acting Attorney General to request the closure is a clear example of abusive censorship that breaches Somaliland constitution as well as basic international standards

Read more here

The post NUSOJ Condemns Closure of Newspapers in Somaliland appeared first on Nigeria Newsline.