The Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has sent a delegation to Amsterdam, Netherlands, for a meeting with the streaming giant – Netflix. The meeting which is expected to hold at Netflix’s corporate headquarters, aims to discuss the impact of Netflix’s recent decision to stop commissioning Nollywood filmmakers to produce original content for the American streaming giant which has its African regional supervisory office in Amsterdam.
A press statement from the ministry which announces the trip did not indicate if the meeting was at the instance of Netflix and why they Minister is not personally leading the delegation the same way she has been personally leading the efforts to have the Grammies consider staging an African version of the awards in Nigeria.
However, the meeting aims to explore possible solutions that will benefit both parties in the wake of allegations and counter allegations over why Netflix has discontinued commissioning original contents in Nigeria.
Accordung to the statement, the delegation will be led by Dr. Shaibu Husseini, Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB).
Husseini will be accompanied by a few stakeholders, including Charles Okpaleke, OON of Charles of Play Network; Group Managing Director of FilmOne, Kene Okwousa; Filmmaker and Director, Moses Iwang and President of the Film Distributors Association of Nigeria (FDAN), Joy Odiete.
The meeting with the streaming giant is expected to underscore the Culture Ministry’s commitment to promoting Nigeria’s creative economy and protecting the interests of local content creators. “The delegation’s engagement with Netflix is expected to yield positive outcomes for the Nigerian film industry and pave the way for future collaborations.
“As the Minister responsible for driving the growth of Nigeria’s creative economy, Barrister Musawa has consistently demonstrated her dedication to empowering local talent and promoting cultural exchange. This meeting is a testament to her efforts to foster international partnerships that benefit Nigeria’s creative sector,” the statement said.
