Creating jobs in the entertainment industry

The entertainment industry in Nigeria is a vibrant and very vital sector of the economy. It is the second highest employer of labour in the country, aside the civil service. The practitioners are mostly young and creative individuals.The industry comprises mainly the music and movie aspects but also includes the hospitality industries like hotels, recreational centres as well as events management companies. This is because they play host to the two major groups.Long before political independence, Nigerian entertainers had made inroads into other parts of Africa, especially in the musical genres of highlife and jazz.However, musicians were more recognised as of the time because of the wide reach of their works. Music gets air play on far flung radio stations and in dance halls and parties in different cities within and outside Nigeria.The local industry and its practitioners suffered serious setback since there was no lifeline from anywhere. The future looked bleak for the two dominant arms of the entertainment industry; music and movies.For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a serving president took note of the plight of the industry and intervened positively. President Goodluck Jonathan made available the sum of two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) as intervention/bailout fund for the entertainment industry. This is a welcome development and ought to be applauded by all as a step in the right direction.To create more jobs in the entertainment industry in Nigeria in line with the transformation agenda of the present administration, government as a matter of urgency, should look into the following areas and intervene as quickly as possible: Piracy, laws to strengthen the regulatory bodies, funding, distribution and marketing, training and attracting foreign involvement and investment. Net.

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Creating jobs in the entertainment industry