Spread the word
Nollywood is no longer defined by cameras, scripts and borrowed locations alone. Its practitioners are investing in permanent infrastructure that could make Nigeria a destination for international film production, tourism and training. KEHINDE OSASONA examines the trend, its economic promise and the policies needed to sustain it.
Issues of facilities, training and devt
For years, Nollywood productions relied on borrowed living rooms, mansions and streets. A director might persuade a wealthy homeowner to lend a property for two days, hoping the owner would not withdraw permission before filming ended.
That arrangement reflected an industry rich in talent and stories but constrained by limited production facilities. The situation is changing.
For instance, Femi Adebayo, the lawyer-turned-actor, producer and filmmaker, recently unveiled Euphoria 360 Hub in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos, in a ceremony attended by entertainment practitioners and public officials.
The multi-billion-naira project is designed as more than a studio: it aims to provide a comprehensive base for filmmaking, music, digital content, training and other creative services.
Lagos deputy governor, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, commissioned the facility, describing it as a “major addition to the entertainment industry.”
The facility includes film studios, sound-mixing and colour-grading suites, visual-effects and motion-graphics services, equipment rentals, photography facilities, podcast rooms, dressing rooms, cinema spaces and the Euphoria 360 Film Academy.
“This is more than a studio. It is a one-stop destination where ideas become reality,” he said. He also pledged to train 250 young people in Lagos free of charge during the first phase, through masterclasses and internships.
The changing tides
Industry observers said the investment addresses one of Nollywood’s persistent weaknesses: the shortage of purpose-built sets and sound stages.
“We have talent and stories, but we have no permanent sets, no sound stages,” movie critic and art enthusiast, Anita Thomas, told Blueprint Weekend, adding that, “Hollywood has Hollywood. Bollywood has Mumbai Film City. Nollywood had nothing until now.”
Adebayo is not alone. Several filmmakers and actors have invested in locations and facilities that can serve productions while attracting visitors and developing new talent.
Kunle Afolayan established KAP Film Village and Resort on about 40 acres in Igbojaye, Oke-Ogun, Oyo state. Designed to resemble a traditional Yoruba community, it features thatched-houses, a forest, a river and a palace.
Afolayan attended Euphoria 360’s unveiling and welcomed Adebayo into the field, noting that he and Ibrahim Chatta had already invested in film villages. He said the industry needed more such facilities.
Chatta’s Africhatta Film Village in Oyo covers more than 70 acres and includes replicas of elements associated with the old Oyo Empire such as mud houses, shrines and horse stables.
Similarly, Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Place in Victoria Island, Lagos, combines film and television production facilities with cinemas, restaurants and hospitality services.
The projects differ in size and purpose, but they share a central ambition: to give Nigerian filmmakers dependable facilities, retain more production spending locally and create spaces where audiences can experience the stories they watch.
Beneath the growth
Social commentator and movie enthusiast, Ariyike Simon, said private investors were stepping in after years of government promises that failed to produce adequate infrastructure. She cited a federal proposal announced in 2014 for a $200 million film city in Epe, Lagos, which, she said, had not made meaningful progress.
According to Simon, filmmakers are increasingly relying on personal resources, loans and box-office earnings to build facilities they believe the industry needs.
The investments could generate jobs for editors, colourists, sound designers, set builders, technicians and hospitality workers, while giving local production companies easier access to equipment and specialist services.
She said studios could also help reduce the money Nigerian productions spend abroad.
Tourism offers another opportunity. Film villages can become attractions where visitors explore sets, learn about production and experience Nigerian history and culture. Afolayan’s village, for example, already receives visitors.
International production companies also value authentic locations. Nigeria’s varied landscapes, architecture and cultural settings could represent different places and periods on screen, provided productions have access to suitable facilities, skilled crews, dependable transport and predictable regulations.
Global examples
Experts said Nigeria can learn from the different approaches adopted in the United States and Morocco. Hollywood’s studio system grew around concentrated production resources, distribution networks and cinemas.
California’s Pioneertown, established in 1946, was designed as an Old West town for film and television productions. Its buildings, streets and interiors provided a ready-made setting for westerns, and the community continues to attract visitors.
More recently, Georgia has drawn productions through a combination of studio infrastructure and tax incentives. Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta has also developed extensive sound stages and permanent sets representing locations such as the White House, an airport and a military base.
Georgia’s film incentive programme has helped attract production spending, illustrating how government policy can complement private investment.
Morocco offers another model. Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, founded in 1983, has become a prominent international filming location. Its desert surroundings and reusable sets have doubled for locations in films such as ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ‘Gladiator,’ ‘The Mummy and Kingdom of Heaven,’ as well as television productions, including ‘Game of Thrones.’
The area’s landscapes can evoke different regions, while existing sets can be repainted, adapted and reused rather than dismantled after every production.
These examples show that a film destination needs more than a collection of studios. It requires a connected system of locations, trained workers, transport, accommodation, incentives and promotion.
Shared destination
Some experts have cautioned that isolated investments could leave Nigeria with several competing facilities rather than one recognisable international destination. They therefore propose cooperation among film-village owners to promote the country jointly at major festivals and markets, including Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Head of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, said Nigeria could combine private enterprise with government’s support.
He advocated for incentives comparable to those offered in established production centres, better roads to film villages and policies that make it easier to operate and invest.
Filmmaker, Femi Odugbemi, a former head of the Lagos Film Academy, said the new facilities showed that Nollywood was moving beyond content creation towards infrastructure development.
He advocated linking hubs such as Euphoria 360, EbonyLife Place and KAP Film Village into a coordinated circuit for international studios and streaming companies.
Dr. Hyginus Ekwuazi, a film professor at the University of Lagos, said Nigeria should develop new film villages while preserving historic settlements and traditional architecture as potential locations.
Public policy intervention
For these investments to transform Nollywood, public policy must move beyond announcements. Governments can support the sector through transparent tax incentives, accessible financing, reliable electricity, improved roads, security, streamlined permits and training partnerships.
Any incentives should be clear: measurable and linked to local employment, production activity and skills transfer.
Investors, meanwhile, need to collaborate on standards, pricing, safety, workforce development and visitor services.
The promise is significant, but success will not be measured by the number of impressive openings or the cost of individual projects; it will depend on whether productions return, local workers gain sustainable employment, communities benefit from tourism, and Nigerian stories reach wider audiences without losing their authenticity.
Hollywood is definitely demonstrating the value of connected infrastructure and incentives. Morocco shows how locations, preserved sets and tourism can reinforce one another.
Nigeria’s filmmakers are beginning to build their own version, drawing on private initiative and local creativity. The challenge now is to connect these efforts into a durable national ecosystem.
With consistent policy, investment and cooperation, Nollywood can become more than a prolific film industry. It can become a destination where stories are developed, productions are made, skills are transferred and visitors discover the culture behind the screen.
Spread the word