The Lagos Film City is an initiative of the Lagos State Government and the Del-York Group to expand the Nigerian movie industry and the entire cinematic appeal of the Nigerian movie space. It is proposed to sit on a 100-hectare piece of land adjourning a serene water body in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos. The Lagos film city has come to add another stream of opportunities to Lagos, the home of opportunities and investment in West Africa and arguably Africa. If well executed, this project, with a budget of 100 million USD, would be another landmark achievement in the Nigerian movie industry. Although the administrative capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos to Abuja, Lagos continues to retain its position as the economic capital of Nigeria.
Lagos is also renowned as the headquarters of the entertainment industry in Nigeria, and the coming of the Lagos film city would further deepen Lagos’ lead as an entertainment hub in Africa and the world. As far as entertainment is the question, Nigeria leads the rest of Africa and competes favorably globally. In Africa, Lagos has always been the center of Opportunities, and with the introduction of the Lagos Film City initiative, things are about to take an interesting part.
Now that we have discussed the crucial position of Lagos in the entertainment world, let’s talk about the opportunities coming with the Lagos film city and why you should key into the concept while it is still in its early bird stage.
It is Lagos, Nigeria’s No. 1 Home of Opportunities
The Lagos effect alone is enough to transform any positive venture into opportunities. With an economy bigger than several West African countries, Lagos is where everything being equal is destined to transform any intentional initiative into success. The Lagos film city will take advantage of Lagos’ current standing as an economic and entertainment powerhouse to bring serious fortunes to the state and investors.
The African Entertainment Industry is a huge goldmine.
Nigeria’s Nollywood is the second largest movie industry in the world; it will be very strategic that the new Lagos film city will be built into a waiting market. There have been a series of movie classes that the Nigerian movie industry has not been able to cast; creating an entirely new movie city is a symbolic step toward the intentional advancement of the movie industry. This is supportive in several ways; the general entertainment industry would benefit from this thoughtful gesture of the Lagos State government.
Creating such a classically dedicated environment is going to result in quality output. Nigerian movie producers have been crafty enough to produce considerable movies with a minimal budget; this has been sheer ingenuity as even with such a low budget, the movie industry has been one of the biggest exports of Nigeria outside Agriculture and Crude oil.
This huge investment into the movie industry by the Lagos state government and the Del-York Group calls for even more investors; the gesture alone would boost investors’ confidence and potentially shape a new destiny for Nigeroa’s movie industry. Several movies took millions of dollars to make. I don’t think any Nigerian movie so far has cost that much, but when the effort of the Government is visible, investors would see several reasons to play their part.
With the Lagos state taking the lead in establishing the Lagos film city, I believe other states would follow the step in establishing classical movie-friendly environments. This all could turn the general Nigerian fortunes and lead to the maximization of the potential of Nollywood. When other Nigerian states also establish similar structures like the Lagos film city, there would be a massive turnaround of the entire industry; such projects would also ensure a gainful return on investment into the Nigerian movie industry.
Job Opportunities
The movie industry has been one of Nigeria’s biggest employers of labor. The entertainment industry in Nigeria is one where Nigeria and Nigerians continue to excel; irrespective of the several setbacks we experience in other sectors as a country, our entertainment industry continues to thrive. The Lagos film city will create additional jobs and other opportunities in Lagos, with movie casting going on more frequently than before, such would create more roles for actors and actresses.
With the dedicated environment, movies and other forms of art school could be created within the vicinity; this creates even educational opportunities and not just entertainment opportunities. With movie and art schools come the need for professors in numerous fields; there could also be an art museum, thereby creating chains of job opportunities; all these facilities likely to be sited in the vicinity of the Lagos Film City would employ different classes of professionals and talent. Maybe for job seekers, it becomes a time to dust your CVs, and hopefully, your star will collide with opportunities this time.
Frontier Expansion and Opportunities for Entertainers
From a new frontier for producers, directors, actors and actresses to a new opportunity for the general public. The Lagos film city could be a new dimension for the Nigerian entertainment industry. Many landmarks and entertainment spaces in Nigeria are rooted or even situated in Lagos. The film City will present new possibilities to producers, directors and actors. Shooting scenes that earlier could only be imagined in Nigeria would be possible.
When established, the movie industry and the rest of the entertainment industry would take advantage of the Lagos film city. On several occasions, Nigerians have learned to keep our dreams within our capacity; we tailor our movies and music scenes to work with environments and tools attainable here; we hardly dream beyond. The movie industry ought to be powered by the strength of our imagination, but it just doesn’t always work that way; we have been confined, and then we resorted to dreaming within our abilities and capabilities. The coming of the Lagos film city will be a huge change and could bring new dynamics and dimensions. This calls on movie industry players to prepare to take advantage of what is coming with the Lagos film city and make our screens a wonder to behold.
Construction Work opportunities
“Rome wasn’t built in a day”, they say; this statement isn’t entirely about time but the rest of the things Rome was made of. The building of the Lagos Film City is more of an Engineering and construction decision and even more of an economic decision. Before we get to the part where the initiative becomes an entertainment hub, it must first be built.
This calls for a whole new level of opportunities for Engineers, Construction firms, and other Experts. A huge chunk of this $100 million will go to constructing the new city. Paychecks are waiting for contractors already; it could be you or your firm, and we could look at top-down opportunities in this regard. There are different layers of opportunities for Construction and Engineering work, from skilled labor to semi-skilled labor; there would be demands for labor and numerous services.
Real Estate Boom Within the Proximity is the Vicinity
If there’s any take home from the movie industry, it is that entertainers have high taste when it comes to their choice of abode. Lagos Film City could potentially be where the movie industry’s top brass would nest; this would, in turn, drive up classic real estate demand in the neighborhood. The real estate demand would also create several more opportunities as more structure would arise in the neighborhood, and new opportunities would come with such a boom.
Conclusion
It would be tough to unravel all the opportunities that would come with the Lagos Film City; however, it would create several opportunities for investors, actors and actresses, the general entertainment industry, the Lagos State government and the entire Nigerian people. If well executed, this would create impacts that would be unprecedented in the history of the Nigerian movie industry. As we wait to see what will become of this initiative, we urge capable investors to participate as we await the continuation of this brilliant step by the Lagos State government and the Del-York Group.
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