Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, has bagged the 2025 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) Award in recognition of his administration’s efforts in providing the needed infrastructure and environment for the creative industry to thrive in the state.

The award was presented to the governor by Chioma Ude, Founder/CEO of the Africa Foundation for the Development of Motion Pictures, Arts and Culture (AFDMAC), organisers of the AFRIFF Award, at Government House, Enugu.

This was even as he vowed to restore Enugu State’s preeminence as a hub for the creative industry and home of Nollywood. Presenting the award, now renamed the Herbert Wigwe Award for Excellence, Ude said the AFRIFF Award was designed to honour and celebrate exceptional Nigerians, who had contributed to the growth of the nation’s creative industry and continued to shape culture and society through creativity, excellence, and innovation.

“Your administration has committed to putting in place the necessary infrastructure and a conducive environment to ensure that Nollywood returns to Enugu. This includes building entertainment and sports parks, improving security, and making Enugu film-friendly.

“You are championing policies that view arts and culture as vital engines of job creation and economic growth. Through multiple initiatives, you are steadily restoring Enugu’s legacy as a creative hub and reaffirming its place in Nigeria’s film and entertainment landscape,” she stated.

Appreciating AFDMAC for the great honour, Mbah said the award had only strengthened his administration’s resolve to further invest in providing the infrastructure and environment needed for the creative industry, arts, and culture to boom, and also to ensure the full return of Nollywood to the state, which he described as its original home.

“As you are probably aware, we expressed a humongous vision to our people, promising to grow the state’s economy sevenfold. We expect the creative industry to contribute to this projected economic growth. So, you can understand why we are building infrastructure and, of course, why we took far-reaching steps and made huge investments to make Enugu State secure, as you rightly observed.

“Therefore, this is to assure you that this award challenges us to do more and not to rest on our laurels. And this is exactly what we will do,” the governor stated.