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The Future of Entertainment Takes Centre Stage at NECLive
Vanessa Obioha
Entertainment and technology professionals who convened for the eighth season of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive) deliberated on how and what will shape the entertainment industry in the future.
From innovation to collaboration, each of the speakers drawn from different segments of the creative industry shared detailed insights into various opportunities that can be exploited; the infrastructure that would be required to build the industry and how young creative Nigerians can play an intrinsic role in that future.
“Technology is a utility in itself,” argued Future Africa’s founder, Iyin Aboyeji. “It can be good or bad. Nothing really stops us from building our own YouTube, our own Facebook, our own Twitter. Why is it important for us to consider this? African exports are currently at the centre of the global conversation. The future of our country rests on our ability to train people. We have to restore respect to our people.”
He added that the partnership between innovation and creativity is the biggest partnership to make Nigeria the pride of Africa once again.
For Big Brother Naija season four winner Mercy Eke, it’s important to strike a balance between being famous and maintaining a fan base.
“A lot of people just want to be famous, but they don’t have any direction. Even with the fame from Big Brother, I’m still taking on many projects: I have real estate, I have my M & M luxury, I also supply diesel to a lot of companies, people don’t know about this. I could have gone on business trips, but no, I am taking risks in various business ventures. This is where the fans come in: they support my luxury business because I sell what they love and what they can connect with.”
Other speakers like Nollywood superstar, Dakore Egbuson-Akande; entrepreneur and founder, Temple Management Company, Idris Olorunnimbe; accomplished comedian Bovi; Big Cabal CEO, Tomiwa Aladekomo made similar submissions at the two-hour conference.
A recurring statement from their opinions was that the entertainment industry is ripe enough to be a global leader and technology has a significant role to play in achieving that.
“Nigeria’s entertainment industry is full of energetic, enterprising and creative young people who are often the direct victims of poor governance, lack of opportunities and social injustice,” stated ID Africa’s CEO Femi Falodun.
“They have also recently emerged as the leaders of a new national movement and drivers of an ongoing conversation about the future of our country. Our goal with NECLive8 is to provide the tools, resources and connections that will further drive the change and innovation that the industry is yearning for.”
Organised by ID Africa and hosted by media personality Bolanle Olukanni, the eighth edition of the conference is the first instalment since the COVID-19 imposed hiatus in 2020.
It began with the broadcast of the NECLive TV special, a scripted 90-minute production, featuring a seven-year chronicle of the most powerful speakers and memorable moments from the NECLive stage. NECLive serves as a marketplace for innovative ideas and products for the sustainability of the entertainment industry.
