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NCC, AFMAN partner to boost talent development in Hausa movie industry

By Godwin Okondo
02 February 2020   |   4:10 am
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and Arewa Film Makers Association of Nigeria (AFMAN) have partnered to develop the film industry in northern Nigeria. The partnership will focus on harnessing creative talent...

Mr. John O. Asein

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and Arewa Film Makers Association of Nigeria (AFMAN) have partnered to develop the film industry in northern Nigeria. The partnership will focus on harnessing creative talent and developing conducive business environment for the industry to thrive as a viable source of engendering gainful employment for the teeming youths in the north.

The resolutions emerged after a courtesy visit by a delegation of AFMAN, led by its chairman, Mr. Ahmed Turaki Kaka, to the Director-General of NCC, Mr. John O. Asein, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The DG stated that in implementing the proposed NCC-AFMAN collaboration, the commission would intensify enforcement measures to check the piracy of Hausa films in Nigeria and the Hausa speaking regions across Africa.

He assured the delegation that the commission would also be addressing issues of rights management, public enlightenment and education to promote a viable business framework and effective distribution of Hausa films.

While describing AFMAN and the Hausa filmmakers as indispensable components of the Nigerian creative industries, which have contributed immensely to Nigeria’s economy, Asein reassured stakeholders of the commission’s commitment to always support creators and genuine investors in the industry.

Asein further told the filmmakers to improve on the technical content of their movies to meet the required high digital quality of international standard.

He implored the Arewa filmmakers to consider the possibility of adopting licensing schemes to check the illegal downloads of their films.

To this end, he told AFMAN that the commission was disposed to brokering discussions between the filmmakers and copyright infringers like unauthorised downloaders, “to structure a business plan that would allow all sides to maximise the benefits of the copyright system.”

The DG further advised the filmmakers to consider how best they could leverage on existing online platforms to promote their works beyond the shores of Nigeria.

The Chairman of AFMAN, Mr. Ahmed Kaka, said all the associations of filmmakers in northern Nigeria have agreed to unite under the umbrella of the Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) and AFMAN.

He said AFMAN, in appreciation of the efforts of the commission towards sanitising the film industry, was seeking for areas of partnership to boost its anti-piracy drive in order to protect the rights of their members.

Kaka expressed concern that large scale local and foreign piracy was affecting the growth of the industry, and listed their major challenges to include the rampant activities of illegal downloaders, voice-over translators and inadequate knowledge of players in the industry. He stressed that the association was committed to work with the commission in addressing the challenges undermining the growth of the industry.

He stated that Hausa filmmakers were willing to dialogue with illegal downloaders and others infringing their copyright to ensure the emergence of a mutually beneficial legal and business environment for a win-win outcome.

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