Nollywood Receives N150m Grant From GEJ, While Twenty Times More Expected

On March 3, 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan organised a dinner at Marina in Lagos to celebrate Nollywood at 20. On that occasion, he announced a N3billion grants geared towards supporting the nation’s foremost movie industry, Nollywood.

But ever since the announcement, a sharp division has risen among the members of the umbrella body of actors and actresses, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), with key players having different stance on how the money should be disbursed.

What happens to the fund? It’s obvious it has been squandered. While practitioners suffer from lack of funds and humiliation in the quest to produce films, some people are busy working to ensure that the money lands in their bank account.

Currently, Nollywood stars operating in the country’s film industry under the recently launched Capacity Training Fund of the Presidential Intervention scheme called “Project ACT Nollywood, “with an objective to help the industry make further progress on a more solid foundation.”

The Federal Government said on November 20, 2013, Wednesday, it awarded various grants adding that this was in line with President Jonathan’s vision for the industry.

The training portion of the Capacity Building Fund valued at about N150 million is dedicated to training and skill acquisition for Nigerian movie practitioners in all competences along the value chain of Nigeria’s movie industry.

Paul Nwabuikwu, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the economy has acclaimed that the beneficiaries of the grant emerged after the applications submitted by the practitioners were processed and found to have met the qualification for the training and skills acquisition programme

The training programme covers script writing, directing, film production and production design, special effects, lighting, sound effect, HD techniques, acting, cinematography, make-up, editing, etc.

The grants, which are currently being processed, would enable the practitioners receive high quality training in accredited institutions to improve their competences in various areas of film craft.

She said another N150 million has been set aside as grants to existing Nigerian-owned private institutes that offer training courses, programmes and technical certification in the movie industry.

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, expressed satisfaction with the development and appealed to individuals or more applications from qualified practitioners.

Hopefully, it works fine.