The issues of financing for creative projects and access to funding in the African creative space will take the center stage of discourse as the Africa Film Academy hosts an online session of its Africa Cinema Business Roundtable on April 29, 2020.
Themed Mining the Goldmine of the African Creative Space, the first session in the series is titled Banks and the Cultural and Creative Industries Sectors: A New Opportunity?
According to a statement from the organizers, bankers and those in the creative industry have long been faced with challenges due to a lack of understanding of both sectors by both sectors and bridging this gap to chart a way forward is what this session will focus on.
“Financing creative projects and access to funding has been a long-standing challenge for both bankers and creatives. This is due to a lack of understanding of both sectors by both sectors. Bridging this gap to chart a way forward is what this session will focus on. Global economies have seen huge changes this 1st quarter of 2020, industries, businesses are having to change very rapidly. This also applies to the creative and cultural sectors of Africa. It is not business as usual for creative projects, experiences, and financing. We must not underestimate the premium value of the creative and cultural sector in building local economies” the statement reads.
The organizers are optimistic that the creative industries are capable of helping Africa ‘leapfrog’ into emerging high-growth global economies according to a United Nation’s UN Report on the Creative Economy in 2008 and 2013.
The session will be facilitated by Mr Philippe Kern the founder of KEA, a company that specialises in the European Commission, the European Investment Fund and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.