Finance Ministry, Film Corporation Partner To Tackle Unemployment

THE Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has said it is ready to partner with the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) to create job opportunities for unemployed youths.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, stated this while receiving a report on the development of the country’s film industry in Jos.

Represented by the Director, Economic Growth Department, Mr Aso Patrick, the minister said the project was in partnership with the NFC and the Agencie Francaise de Developpement of France (AFD).

She said, “This partnership is aimed at understanding the film industry and see its potential and how government can leverage on it to strengthen the industry and churn out people who will create and develop films.

“With the country’s large population of youths, the film industry would provide jobs for the youths, the film industry globally is capable of creating jobs.”

Expressing regret that many youths graduate from the university each year without anything to do, the minister said the government alone cannot create jobs for all unemployed youths, hence the partnership with the AFD and other critical stakeholders.

The Managing Director, NFC, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, said the film industry was capable of lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

He noted that the creative industry had created jobs for 20 million Nigerians from the 100 million the government was targeting to lift out of poverty.

“We have taken about 20 million out of poverty, and with this partnership, we can do more,” Maduekwe said.

He said that more would be done by involving more people in the digital economy innovations as well as breaking frontiers which hitherto had been dormant.

Maduekwe described Nigeria as a country with a lot of diversity, adding that many players were coming into the country making it the creative capital of the world.

Also speaking, a film entrepreneur, Mr Madu Chikwendu, called for more planning using data collection while urging stakeholders to do more.