First Bank of Nigeria Limited under the auspices of its First@arts initiative has thrown its weight behind the Nigeria Entertainment Conference 2017, as part of its support for the Creative Arts industry as well as home-grown human capacity development across several arts platforms. The event themed‘It’s Time for Africa’will convene bigwigs from different sectors of the entertainment industry in Nigeria; Nollywood, Music, and Comedy to deliberate on the future of the Entertainment Industry in Nigeria. The Conference is scheduled to hold on April26, 2017 at the Landmark Event Centre, Oniru, Lagos.
The FirstBank First@arts initiative was launched in 2015 topromote entertainment as a veritable vehicle for cohesion amongst family and friends as well as support for the economic diversification drive. The entertainment industry today has generated enough profitable content to attract investments in Nigeria. Theindustry has increasingly become important as it creates employment, economic empowerment and is fast growing into a multibillion-dollar business, with potentials to be a leading contributor the Nigeria’s GDP in the near future.
With this foresight, FirstBank has created partnerships to build this resourceful sector of the economy and the Bank would lend its voice to the conversations at the conference in the panel session titled ‘Why the rest of the world needs African Entertainment’.
Some of the speakers at the conference would includeNigerian international singer Tiwa Savage, comedy trail blazers Ali Baba and Basket mouth, and award winning broadcaster and actor Patrick Doyle among several other renowned names in Nigeria’sentertainment industry. FirstBank through the First@arts initiative has positioned itself as the leading brand in the support of the creative industry in Nigeria.
The Bank recently premiered the filmmaking reality TV show titled FirstStars to promote the discovery and management of talented Nigerian youth in the film industry.
The participants had the opportunity to project their creative skills in directing, producing, script writing and acting. The Bank has also partnered with Lork Enterprise LLP, managers of Freedom Park, British Council, and Ebony Life Television to boost the creative arts industry in Nigeria. The support for the Nigeria Entertainment Conference 2017 is another way the Bankis promoting a diversified economy as well as sustaining enterprise within the creative arts value chain.