Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf has expressed the readiness of the state government to partner with filmmakers in the Diaspora to produce world-class movies that will showcase the state and project it positively in the global community.
Speaking during a roundtable discussion with filmmakers at Oxford University, United Kingdom, facilitated by Africa Film Academy, curators of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in collaboration with James Currey Society, the commissioner said the partnership with the film industry would also create jobs for youth who are residents of Lagos.
“This is an epoch event, which is a partnership between the Africa Film Academy and Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture under the auspices of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. This initiative and many more are some of the evidence of the state government’s efforts in pursuing a diversified economy, using film as a vital tool,” she said.
Akinbile-Yussuf charged the filmmakers to leverage the diverse culture and heritage of Lagos to promote tourism as a viable sector of the economy in a manner that enhances, promotes and preserves the richness, quality and unique features of the state.
On her part, Anyiam-Osigwe said the event is in pursuit of a diversified economy, which the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is striving to achieve since the inception of the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“In 2021, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced that Lagos state government will host AMAA for the next three years. Also, recently, the state government gave funds to filmmakers to produce films and also engage Africa Film Academy to train over 600 filmmakers in Lagos, these are some of the efforts made so far by the state government in the film industry.