Zambia is slowly awakening to the fact that, the film industry if developed in the country can be a great source of revenue to the nation and a relief to the local residents in terms of job creation as is the case in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, India and other countries who have embraced the industry.
During a press briefing on January 15 2020, attended by Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Information minister Dora Siliya called on the filmmakers in the country to begin discussions with government at the beginning of the year on how the film industry can be improved, saying the ministry of finance begin their budget process around April and the industry can lobby for inclusion in the budget.
‘‘It important that we begin to work together now and especially through the Permanent Secretary – PS so that we can lobby the ministry of finance to see what kind of tax incentives, policy benefits and relief that can be given to the film industry. Government can’t provide all the jobs and the existing private sector can’t provide all the jobs, for young people to have an opportunity to get or create their own jobs, we need new industries to open up and one of them is the film industry,’’ she said.
Siliya said the film industry could improve the economy in Zambia as seen in Bollywood India, Nollywood in Nigeria and South Africa creating both local and export revenue for their economies. She added that the film industry creates not only jobs for the front liners, such as the actors and actresses, but it has such spill over backward linkages in terms of fashion & tailoring, food catering, transport, advertisers, publicists and so on who can also benefit and boost their businesses through film industry.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, the National Media Arts Council (NAMA) chairperson Loti Tondolo Siame said the move by government is welcome because the filmmakers have been ready for a long time now.
‘‘We have been ready a long time looking at the number of productions that come out per year so it is just the matter of putting things in order now that government has come on board to see how we can move forward. As an association, our role is to promote film industry and its time that we have a film school so that the film makers can have a skill on how to produce a high quality film.’’ Said Siame.
Asked on how much NAMA could lobby to be allocated to the film industry, Siame said the stakeholders need to sit down together and draft the budget in order to come up with an accurate amount needed. The NAMA chairperson called on all filmmakers in Zambia to come together and unite for one noble cause.
The information minister has since pledged government full support towards the improving of the film industry in Zambia. ‘‘We want to hold the hands of those people in this sector, we want to push for you, work with you and go to the ministry of finance and put up a case.
We know equipment is expensive, we know that to put movies on Netflix there are very specific standards and so we can’t remain behind but we have to convince other people within government and outside to see that there is reward in this sector, it’s difficult but there is reward,’’ said Siliya.
It is interesting to note that, in Nigeria, it is the creative sector that contributed to changing the complexion of their revised GDP and they went ahead and even beat South Africa in terms of the size of the economy because the creative industry which was included and if Zambia can emulate this, the industry can become a major employer and economic driver.
