This is contained in a statement
issued in Abuja on Sunday by Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, Spokesman for the Minister of
Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
"Action on the three billion
naira support promised the Nigerian film industry by President Goodluck
Jonathan has formally commenced with the roll out of a N300 million capacity
building fund.’’
The statement noted that the
capacity building fund was the first of a series of initiatives planned under
"Project Act Nollywood", adding that It was made up of two
components.
According to the statement, the
first component is a Training Fund of N150 million, dedicated to training and
skills acquisition for Nollywood practitioners in all competencies along the
entire value
chain of the industry.
chain of the industry.
The statement said it includes;
scriptwriting, directing, production and production design, special effects,
lighting, sound, HD techniques, acting, cinematography, make-up and editing,
among others.
It said that the second component
was the Capacity Development Fund which was also worth N150 million.
According to the statement, grants
will be given to existing Nigerian-owned private institutes that offer training
courses, programmes, and technical certification in the movie industry.
The statement said the fund might be
used to upgrade existing facilities, procure equipment and develop internal
capacity to offer a set of courses and training programmes that would address
key skills gaps.
It said that institutes to benefit
from the fund must have a prove of registration from Jan. 1, 2013, and be
competent enough to train people according to global best practices.
The statement said that the
intervention Project ACT Nollywood, would be managed by the Coordinating
Minister for the Economy and the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke.
Okonjo-Iweala in the statement said
the establishment of the fund underscored government’s commitment to supporting
Nollywood in recognition of its contributions to the economy.
"This is the first of the
initiatives planned under Project Act Nollywood, and it shows that the president
is keeping his word to the industry and to Nigerians.
"Nollywood deserves this
support because it has added value to the economy by creating jobs and acting
as an ambassador to the country.
"It is also projecting Nigeria
to many parts of the world that hitherto, knew little or nothing about the
country,” it quoted Okonjo-Iweala as saying.
It said that the overall objective
of Project Act Nollywood was to support the industry in a sustainable way that
practitioners could leverage on to improve their capacity and output in key
areas.
"The fund is open for
applications from July to December 2013. Courses commencing after Dec. 31st are
eligible provided the application is received before Dec. 31 2013.’’
It said that guidelines for
applications indicated that applicants must be Nigerians and industry
practitioners among other requirements.
-NAN
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