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Temple Company partners Lagos State on Gidi Creative Academy

By Eniola Daniel
27 August 2022   |   4:01 am
In an effort geared towards sustaining Nigeria’s creativity and enviable presence in the world of entertainment, The Temple Company and Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture have concluded arrangements to train 200 youths in Lagos.

Director, Strategy, Funding and Stakeholder Management, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Sheila Ojei (left); Group Chief Executive Officer, The Temple Company, Idris Olorunnimbe; Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Oyinade Nathan-Marsh; Director Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre, UNILAG, Prof. Sunday Adebisi; Executive Secretary, Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, Bukola Agbaminoja and Head of Strategy and Projects, The Temple Company/ Gidi Creative Centre, Winifred Okpapi at the launch of Gidi Creative Centre at Ogidi Studios, Lekki, Lagos.

Set To Train 200 Creative Talents
In an effort geared towards sustaining Nigeria’s creativity and enviable presence in the world of entertainment, The Temple Company and Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture have concluded arrangements to train 200 youths in Lagos.

Unveil the initiative at the Ogidi Studio, Lekki, Lagos, the management of Temple noted that though Lagos State deserve credit for the Nigeria movie industry rating as the second largest in the world, there’s need to train the young generations to sustain the momentum.

Tagged Gidi Creative Academy, the capacity development initiative opened for application on Thursday, August 18, 2022, and will run till September 8, 2022. The core training areas will include music, visual arts and filmmaking, multimedia design, textile and performing arts.

The partnership will give students access to the Ogidi Studio, a full-scale production studio that serves the entire value chain in the entertainment and creative industry. The studio will also serve as a content factory and creative campus with outstanding facilities such as a fully fitted animation studio; Post Production studio; Green screen; four Audio Recording and production studios; Live Rehearsal spaces; an adaptive studio for set design/creation; Dance studio; and Production Equipment among others.

Speaking at the unveiling, Group Chief Executive Officer, The Temple Company, Idris Olorunnimbe, said the faculty will start reviewing applications on September 8, and come out with the selection within a week and classes will resume on October 4, 2022, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where participants will receive lectures from lecturers from UNILAG and Henley Business School, England. Subsequently, the students will go to Ogidi Studio for the rest of the three months training and there will be internship after the programme.

“Our aim is to build capacity, prepare Lagos, equip young people in Lagos to be better ready to take advantage of the opportunity already existing in the creative industry,” he said.

On the choice of the creative sector, he said, “The creative industry is where the future of our country is because the easiest way to engage our growing population is by giving them the skills to be able to express themselves and be engaged gainfully.”

Speaking on the partnership with Lagos State, he said: “We have a shared goal, which is to improve talents in the creative sector; to make them better equipped to be able to tell the stories begging to be told. We have faculty that include local and international talents from Lagos, England and South Africa.

“One of the benefits is also to become alumni in the Henley Business School, a network of UNILAG and the industry network. The website is giditrainingcentre.com.”

In her remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts And Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, said: “Today, I strongly believe that the creative industry will specifically testify to the outstanding efforts of our administration, especially with this launch of the Lagos State Creative Industry Initiative (LACI) Programme.

“In 2020, we collaborated with EbonyLife Academy and DelYork Creative Academy to launch the creative skills set programme which offers free, practical, and short courses covering all aspects of Filmmaking and media content production including acting, directing, editing, sound, and lighting, cinematograph, digital marketing, digital filmmaking, documentary, fashion, arts and crafts. About 1,500 young talented persons have benefitted in this first phase.”

She continued: “Recently, we launched another capacity-building training in partnership with Africa Film Academy for 600 youths in Alimosho, Badagry, and Epe. Alimosho has been completed, Badagry is ongoing and Epe will commence next month. Interested youth should take advantage of this opportunity.”

While observing that the Lagos State intervention in the creative industry is yielding good fruits, she said, “Our graduates from these academies are already making waves in the film industry and making their marks. After the just concluded Film in a Box Training in Alimosho, a graduate of Africa Film Academy has been selected by film producer Toyin Abraham to join her team”

On the new partnership, she said: “This partnership with the Temple Company was built on the need to use the creative sector to expand the very concept of tourism as a whole, driving a shift from conventional models of heritage-based cultural tourism to new models of creative tourism centered on contemporary creativity, innovation, and fresh content.

“The vision behind this partnership is to use Lagos’s rich natural resources, creative talents, diverse culture and heritage to promote the sustainable development of tourism as a viable sector of the economy in a manner that enhances, promotes, and preserves the richness, quality, and unique features of Lagos.”

She informed that the initiative has been developed into an academy that will offer training to equip individuals with the necessary skills and capabilities in creative leadership and collaboration, with access to professionals in various fields and infrastructure.

“This initiative is indeed an outstanding one that will equip our youths with the right skill sets, further put the spotlight on the Lagos creative space and industry, and most importantly, boost the capacity and potential of the creative and tourism industries in both Lagos and Nigeria.

“I am certain that at the end of the training period, these participants would have become better, more creative, and innovative versions of themselves who will be able to stand tall and independently to effect and influence change in the larger society.

“I implore our creative and talented youths to make judicious use of this training and development opportunity presented to them to become economically dependent, and most importantly, see it as a golden opportunity to start to make a name for themselves.”

While calling for corporate support, the commissioner said: “The Government cannot do it all alone, therefore, we call on all shareholders in the creative, culture, tourism, and arts industries to continue to throw their support behind us and bring to our doors those grand ideas that will further transform these industries.”

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