Region
Nigeria
Plateau

Sector
Media
Tourism & Leisure

Summary:

The Plateau State Government is seeking investors to develop a Film City, which will host production studios, tourist hotels, shopping malls, and upmarket residential estates.

Contact
TradeInvestNigeria

Email
infonigeria@gan.co.za

Project: Plateau Film City

Project location: Miango District, Bassa local government.

Project facilitators: Plateau state government and Nigeria Film Corporation

Summary: The proposed Plateau film city would consist of world-class film production facilities, upmarket hotels and residential estates, and leisure facilities such as shopping malls. The 300 hectares site in Miango has beautiful, natural environment comprising of hills, valleys, forests and other exciting topography, which would interest film makers and real estate developers.

Plateau state is located in central Nigeria and has attracted Nigerians of every ethnic background. The state has a diverse economy ranging from mining, agriculture, tourism and film. It hosts many festivals, especially in the months of March and April. Jos, the capital city, hosted the first-ever showing of a film in Nigeria, in 1904. An annual Chinese film festival is now held in Jos, which also hosts an annual regional trade fair.
 
Reasons to invest in Plateau state

The state government set up the Plateau Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) to serve as a link between it and the business community.

PIDA offers the following incentives to prospective investors:

• Facilitating the timely issuance of certificate of occupancy of industrial or business sites.
• Waiver of fees in respect of land transactions involving new businesses.
• The development of industrial estates in each local government authority.
• Exemption of new businesses from property rates for a specified period
• Fiscal incentives to support agro-allied industries.

Nigeria’s film industry

Film-making is one of the most productive sectors in the Nigerian economy. It is estimated that 600 films are produced every year, each one selling about 50 000 copies. The industry has grown at 20% per annum in the last five years and is worth an estimated $250-million, and now ranks as the third-biggest producer in the world after the USA and India.

Popularly known as Nollywood, it is poised to enter a new phase of growth, development and regulation when challenges of copyright and distribution are addressed. A 1981 federal government decision to nationalise the industry has had disastrous results: pirated videos boomed, as legitimate distribution networks collapsed.

The demand for Nigerian films has been recognised by cable channels in the US and Britain where the Nigerian diaspora community is huge. In Africa, M-Net’s Africa Magic Channel caters to Africans interested in the kind of stories Nollywood churns.

The World Bank has committed to contribute up to $40-million to ensure copyright and piracy protection, improve distribution and establish a Nigerian Film Institute.



For further information on this opportunity contact TradeInvestNigeria at infonigeria@gan.co.za