Forex: FG Partners Mswitch to Train 5,000 Youths on Post-production Technology for Global Export

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy and the Nigeria National Talent Export Programme, yesterday agreed to partner with the Mswitch Creative Academy to train 5,000 young Nigerian talents in the Film and Music industry on post production technology.

Post-production is the final stage in film and programme-making where footage is cut, music, sound and commentary are mixed and visual effects are added.

The idea is to train the young creatives in the post production aspect of filmmaking, in collaboration with foreign experts so that they could acquire global experience which would either make them take up foreign jobs here in Nigeria or travel abroad to work and earn foreign exchange.

The National Coordinator of the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Olufemi Adeluyi; the Special Adviser to the President on Arts , Culture and Creative Economy, Ayo Adeagbo and the Co-founder of Mswitch Creative Academy, Salami Kadir, announced the partnership in Abuja.

They spoke at a one-day workshop organised by Mswitch Creative Academy with the theme, “Positioning Nigerian Creatives for Global Post-production Demand.”

The NATEP boss, Olufemi Adeluyi, explained that his agency was ready to support the post-production project with the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (I-DICE) launched about a year ago.

Adeluyi, said I-DICE is a $617.7m funds sourced from the African Development Bank, French Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.

He added, “The whole idea is to be able to make sure that the digital economy and the creative sectors in Nigeria are vibrant enough to support the economy.

“The National Talent Export Programe was launched at the sidelines of the United Nation’s Assembly last year, it is under the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment. The Minister took to the Federal Executive Council and it was approved.

“We are to catalyse the creation of one million jobs over a five-year period.

“We are targeting jobs that are currently outside Nigeria. We want jobs to that could be outsourced into the country.

“We also have the mandate to physically export talents outside Nigeria.

“We are currently having foreign exchange issues in Nigeria. The major way we can turn things around is by export.

“Our greatest export at the moment is our talents. We have a large youth population that we can transform into opportunities.”

“We want to create an environment whereby people can get foreign jobs and be doing them from Nigeria and earn a foreign exchange.

“When the money comes, it helps us to tackle our forex liquidity and we would have the dignity of working and earning income.

“For those that would go outside the country, we want to make sure that they are treated with dignity.

“The outsourcing industry had blossomed on a number of countries especially in India.

“The highest amount that Nigeria has made in a single year from oil which is our biggest export is not more than $40bn. This year alone, India is expecting about $200bn from outsourcing alone.

“We are trying to make sure that Nigeria benefit from that. Those are the opportunities and we want to make sure that the Nigeria’s brand is synonymous with integrity, competence efficiency.”

Similarly, the Special  Adviser  to the President on Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Ayo Adeagbo, described post-production technology as a very key area in film and music production that a lot of people don’t pay attention to.

He said, “Without effective post production effort, whatever one is doing won’t make sense.

“Since the current administration started, President Bola Tinubu through the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy has been exploring measures to place Nigerian creative talents in the global scale.”

Speaking about the project, the Mswitch Creative Academy co-founder, Salami Kadir, explained that it would be a hybrid programme with a mixture of online and on site equipment.

Kadir, however, said there there would be financial implications because the programme would focus on four courses, including, Non lineal editing; sound design: motion graphics and colour breeding.