The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on Friday officially launched the Lagos State Creative Industries Initiative (LACI) aimed at empowering 1500 filmmakers and creatives with free skills training.
As part of its strategy to fast-track the initiative, the state is partnering with two creative firms, EbonyLife Media and Del-York Creative Academy, to enhance the skills and exposure of approximately 1,500 practitioners in the State’s creative industry.
In 2021, EbonyLife Creative Academy will offer free, practical three-month courses for up to 480 learners, covering all aspects of filmmaking and media content production.
Through its Creative Lagos programme, Del-York will offer a hybrid of free online and offline courses for students, in filmmaking, media, arts, technology, and digital marketing.
Speaking at the launch, the state Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, said the establishment of LACI is a critical step towards making Lagos the main hub for Africa’s creative industries.
“LACI is a continuation of Lagos State’s commitment to supporting our creative industries, as we drive towards leading Africa in this area and being recognised as a centre of excellence for filmmaking in particular. With a growing pool of practitioners with world-class skills, our creatives can build companies that provide investment and employment for our young people,” she said.
LACI will serve as a training platform for practitioners in the creative sector on the use of modern technology, to enhance the content and quality of Nigeria’s entertainment.
Speaking further, she added that the initiative will help to attract film productions from around Nigeria, the rest of Africa, and the world.
The CEO of EbonyLife Creative Academy, Mo Abudu, expressed her delight at the partnership with Lagos State through LACI.
‘Without the support of the Lagos Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, we would not be able to provide filmmaking courses of this quality free of charge. Our most talented people cannot afford to go abroad for training, so EbonyLife Creative Academy is bringing world-class trainers to Lagos – it’s an amazing opportunity for anyone wishing to improve their technical skills,” she said.
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During his speech, the founder of Del-York Creative Academy, Linus Idahosa, commended the state government’s commitment.
“Thanks to the unwavering commitment of Governor Sanwo-Olu, the Creative Lagos project will harness talent, technology and technical education to ensure that all participants are exposed to the cutting edge of innovation, making them invaluable to local and global film production companies creating high-quality content in Lagos. We are delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative.”
Situated in Victoria Island, EbonyLife Creative Academy features state-of-the-art lecture rooms with projection and sound facilities, studio workshop spaces, and post-production facilities fitted with the latest technology.
Del-York Creative Academy, on the other hand, is an African capacity-building institution for film, media, animation, technology, and marketing communications industry.
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