African creatives call for homegrown platforms

Leaders in Africa’s creative industry have underlined the need for the continent to reduce its reliance on foreign-owned platforms and develop stronger homegrown systems for distributing and monetizing its own content.

They said more investment in local distribution infrastructure, intellectual property protection and digital platforms would enable the continent to capture greater value from its rapidly expanding creative and digital economy.

Overseas examples

Citing the success of China and India, Mawuli Gavor, a Ghanaian actor, producer and entrepreneur, said African countries should draw lessons from the two countries by building strong domestic audiences for locally produced content before seeking to expand into overseas markets.

“More than anybody else, we are the ones supposed to be consuming our own content before we expand it,” Gavor said during a virtual meeting organized by the Africa Prosperity Network last week.

Gavor said that China and India have large domestic audiences that consume locally produced films and other creative content, providing an important foundation for their respective creative industries.

Similarly, he argued that African producers should be able to reach audiences in the continent before looking primarily to markets in Europe or North America.

Participants said Africa’s creative sectors, including, film, fashion and digital content, have significant potential to generate jobs, boost youth entrepreneurship and expand intra-African trade.

They stated that investing in homegrown platforms and distribution networks will not only connect African creators with audiences across the continent and international markets but also retain a larger share of revenues within Africa.

The participants said the African Continental Free Trade Area provides an opportunity to create a larger market for African creative products and services by easing the movement of cultural goods and strengthening digital trade across borders.

They also called for stronger intellectual property systems to protect African creative works and ensure that artists, producers and other rights holders benefit from the commercial use of their content.

Wiisichong Bening Ahmed, secretary-general of the Pan-African Youth Union, said Africa’s youthful population should be treated as a major economic asset and receive the skills, investment and opportunities needed to drive the continent’s development.

He said that young Africans should be able to move more easily across the continent, collaborate with one another and participate in markets beyond their home countries.

Theresa Ayoade, CEO of Charterhouse Productions, a Ghana-based entertainment and production company, said Africa has no shortage of creativity but lacks the infrastructure needed to turn creative ideas into sustainable businesses.

She said music, films, fashion, festivals and digital content could generate much greater economic value if creators were able to develop intellectual property that could be licensed, marketed and distributed across several African markets.

“The bigger opportunity is in building businesses and intellectual property around our content,” Ayoade said.

She cited music as an example, saying a successful song could generate value beyond its initial release through concerts, festivals, merchandise, licensing, documentaries and other commercial opportunities.

Distribution network

Ayoade called for adoption of an African distribution network that would allow producers to reach audiences across the continent without having to negotiate separately with multiple markets.

The challenge is particularly visible in the film industry, where limited cinema infrastructure can make it difficult for producers to recover their investments.

Dorina Amina Abubakar, head of the African Creative Television Initiative, stated that the challenge extends beyond physical infrastructure to commercial knowledge.

She said that African creatives need greater understanding of intellectual property, audience data, brand partnerships and different ways of monetizing content.

“IP is literally the biggest asset that one has at this time,” Abubakar said, arguing that creators should learn to develop their intellectual property across different formats rather than relying on a single film, series or digital platform.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of reducing the cost of internet access.

Creative economy strategist Addy Awofisayo said cheaper data would bring more Africans online, expand digital audiences and create greater opportunities for advertising and content monetization.

victor@chinadailyafrica.com