Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara has vowed to deepen the state’s creative industry in order to expand its economic base.
AbdulRazaq made the vow in Ilorin on Wednesday during his visit to the trendy Sugar Film Factory.
The governor described the sugar film factory as one of his administration’s iconic projects targeted at refocusing the state’s economy for job creation, youth empowerment, and improved standard of living.
He said it was designed to make Kwara a hub in the last-mile movie production and creative industry in West Africa.
According to him, the facility earns its name from the nostalgic Tate and Lyle Sugar Factory which collapsed in the 1990s, in what underscored the governor’s rich sense of history.
The governor said that the project was one of those being funded from the bond the state accessed in 2021.
He noted that contents from Nollywood are increasingly dominating the world, saying that efforts must be geared towards improving production quality for them to compete with Hollywood and Bollywood.
“Our huge investment in the creative industry is to expand the economic base of the state and deepen the creative industry.
“Everyone sees our state as a civil service state. We want to change that perception. We want to make this state a destination for high-quality movie production.
“It is about thinking outside the box. It is important for Nollywood to move from what some may call videos to cinematography.
“We have very rich contents but we need to invest in the quality of our production. Our facility offers this.
“Gradually, we are getting there. You’ve seen our films on Netflix and other global platforms but we want more of our films there. What India has done is to improve the quality of films, that’s what we want to offer here in Kwara,” the governor stated.
AbdulRazaq echoed the need to expand the quality of Nigerian movies to feature more on the international scene.
He expressed satisfaction at the progress of work done, hoping that the contractor would deliver it for operation in the next few months.
The governor said more equipment are coming in and assured that film production would soon commence in the state.
The sugar film factory is carefully linked with the visual arts centre whose components include a Dolby-fitted studio.
It is indicative of an emerging local economy built around creative industry, innovation and enterprise dominated by young people.