“Nigeria’s economy will boom if government takes Nollywood seriously” – Ini Edo

Popular Nigerian actress Ini Edo has remarked that if the federal government provides the entertainment sector the attention and support it needs to prosper, it will significantly influence the economy.

The thespian said this during an interview with the Punch when asked to expatiate on her comment that the film industry is a doorway to Nigeria’s developmental problem.

According to her, despite the entertainment industry being the highest revenue-generating industry in the country, some of the major challenges included inadequate public funding and a lack of the right structures.

In her words;

“It is one of the highest revenue generating industries in the country. It provides employment for millions of youths, not to mention the number of people taken off the street, and the huge investments. If only the people (in leadership positions) understand what the movie industry can be to Nigeria’s economy, I think the government will see to it that the right structures are put in place, so that the sector can thrive.
It is one thing to see (potential); it is a different ball game to do something about it. Imagine me having a production like Shanty Town, and I had to fund it myself. There was no support from anyone. The poor electricity supply is a problem, and the cost of production is very high. There is no way that it favours one.
I mentioned the government part of it. Another aspect is funding. Funding seems to be a big challenge in the industry but I think things are changing because people can actually work up to one and say they want to invest (in the industry).
A couple of people have said that to me in recent times since Shanty Town was released. What that means is that if we keep improving and growing as an industry, funding would become less of a challenge.”