Gov. Ambode pledges support for growth of entertainment industry

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Saturday pledged that his administration would continue to provide platforms for showcasing and celebrating creative arts, talents and originality.
Ambode, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule, made the pledge at the 13th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards in Lagos.
He said that every successful stakeholder in the industry found Lagos state to be a home as it was the hub of the entertainment industry in Africa.
Ambode said: “Lagos is a place that provides all the support and opportunities necessary for the entertainment and creative industry to thrive.
“The stakeholders in this industry have shown that they can achieve much more in terms of boosting revenue base, the GDP as well as creating wealth and employment for our people.
“Hosting these awards is a great boost to our determined efforts to maximise the huge and largely unharnessed social and economic potentials of the entertainment and tourism industries in our state.
“As a government, we will create the enabling environment in terms of infrastructure, policies and avenues for movie producers to get their work across to a larger audience.”
In her address, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the Convener, AMAA, said that the awards united the continent through a rewarding system that celebrated excellence and professionalism in the business of motion picture.
Anyiam-Osigwe said there was the need to engage various governments within Africa to increase support and investment in the creative sector.
She said: “Our films and film makers are breaking boundaries in the global film making business and they need all the support from government, organisations and individuals.
“We can use the entertainment industry to forget our ethnicity, remove borders, stop the hate, promote peace and be happy with our diversity.”
Berni Goldbiat, the head of Jury for this year’s awards, said they got about 800 submissions from around the world and they carried out thorough screening to reward, promote and encourage African creativity and originality.
Nigeria bagged four out of the 30 awards. These are: Best Animation (Got Flowers), Achievement in Production Design (76), Achievement in Make-up (Oloibiri) and Lagos State Award for Best Nigerian Film (76).