MultiChoice Nigeria Restates Commitment to Creative Industry Growth

PHOTO: L-R: Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head, Corporate Affairs, MultiChoice Nigeria; Fidelis Duker, filmmaker; Atinuke Babatunde, Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory; Victor Okhai, President, Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN); Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria and Bond Emeruwa, former DGN president, during a courtesy visit by MultiChoice Nigeria team to the DGN in Lagos on Tuesday

Leading pay television service provider, MultiChoice Nigeria, has reiterated its commitment to the growth of the country’s entertainment industry. The company’s position, made known in Lagos on Tuesday, was the highlight of the discussion between MultiChoice Nigeria and the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN) during a courtesy visit to the latter.

Discussions at the meeting revolved around opportunities for collaboration and mutually beneficial ideas with the potential to accelerate the growth of the major industry stakeholder entities such as Africa Magic, MultiChoice Talent Factory and the DGN.

The MultiChoice team, led by Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs, explained that the meeting was a sign of the company’s cordial relationship with the DGN and afforded it the opportunity to formally introduce the newly appointed MultiChoice Nigeria’s executives to an important stakeholder group.

The new executives include Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels; and Atinuke Babatunde, Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), who both spoke on the importance of the relationship between both parties.

Tejumola explained that MultiChoice Nigeria is keen on strengthening existing industry collaborations and building new ones.

“I think it is important for us to be here today to consolidate what I know the guild and MultiChoice have been building over the last few years. We think it’s time for us to work better together with the industry. We have been a part of the industry and it’s time for us now to truly collaborate.

“I know that we have areas of synergy, and the goal is to further advance the creative industry. As a brand, we are doing all we can, but we can’t do it by ourselves. We need collaborations and partnerships with different organisations that are the backbone of Nollywood and the creative industry at large,” she said.

On her part, Atinuke noted that the MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative is crucial to the growth of the creative industry because it provides opportunities for professional capacity building.

“Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, we would be organizing more masterclasses. Upskilling is important for us in terms of the growth of the industry.

“The Academy currently supports the industry through three major ways which are the Academy, where 20 students are trained to become filmmakers; the masterclass, where we partner with industry experts; and the last part is where we integrate with the industry to ensure that there is a synergy,” she explained.

She added that the MTF portal is important to the envisaged synergy and called on industry professionals to register on it because it provides opportunity for collaboration and partnership through the over 11,000 people it has across Africa.

President of the DGN, Victor Okhai, who led members of the guild to receive the MultiChoice Nigeria team, commended the company for its effort at reviving its relationship with the guild.

“This is a new dawn. The partnership with MultiChoice has been symbolic. It has sold us to the world and amplified and magnified Nollywood even more.

“You have helped build capacity over the years and the benefits have been mutual for both parties,” Okhai said.

He also urged MultiChoice Nigeria to widen the room for inclusiveness, acquisition, and commissioning of content by all and not a select few.  The DGN President similarly called on the MultiChoice Nigeria team to become guild members. Members of the guild present during the meeting included Zeb Ejiro, Member, DGN Board of Trustees; Matthias Obahiagbon, Fidelis Duker and Bond Emeruwa, former DGN presidents; filmmakers Uzodinma Okpechi and Perekeme Odon, DGN Public Relations Officer.