DGN, MultiChoice Take Filmmaking Skills Training To 8 Nigerian Cities

By Samuel Egbewole

The Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) and MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) are expanding professional filmmaking skills training beyond Lagos, with a regional workshop series scheduled across eight Nigerian cities.

DGN National President, Uche Agbo, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, saying the partnership was aimed at strengthening the creative workforce, addressing skills gaps and improving professionalism within Nigeria’s film industry.

The workshops are scheduled to take place in Abeokuta, Ibadan, Owerri, Abia, Abuja, Kaduna, Asaba and Port Harcourt, giving filmmakers and other creative practitioners outside Lagos access to professional development opportunities.

Agbo said training directors and helping practitioners maximise their creative abilities remained one of the priorities of his administration.

He said previous workshops had been held in Lagos, including one in March, but the new regional approach was intended to extend the opportunity to practitioners in other parts of the country.

“Let the man in Kano be able to partake and learn, and the man in Aba also partake in this and improve on their skills; it should not be for only Lagos,” he said.

The programme will target emerging and practising filmmakers, including directors, writers, producers, cinematographers and other creative professionals, who will have access to experienced industry practitioners and practical knowledge.

Agbo described the initiative as the first edition of the DGN’s programme in partnership with MultiChoice Talent Factory, expressing the hope that it would become an annual programme.

He said the guild would work to sustain and expand the initiative as resources increased, while monitoring its impact through participants’ feedback and testimonials.

Agbo also expressed the ambition of extending the training to all 36 states and eventually covering local governments across the country.

He said broader access to professional development could strengthen the participation of Nigerian filmmakers in the wider African and international creative economy.

Speaking on the development of Nigeria’s motion picture industry, the DGN president called for stronger government support for skills development and an enabling environment that would allow private-sector initiatives to expand.

He said a stronger private sector could create jobs, reduce poverty and help address insecurity by engaging more people in productive activities.

“I would wish the government could partner with us. We will be very glad to expand this programme from just the few states we are able to pick to make it a 36-state project,” he said.

Agbo also highlighted the growing opportunities created by digital and social-media platforms, saying Nigerians across the country could use their creative skills to produce content and generate income.

He added that the creative sector offered opportunities regardless of educational background and could provide alternative livelihoods for unemployed young people.