The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Abhishek Singh, on Wednesday, said the time has come for Bollywood and Nollywood to move beyond cultural exchanges into joint film production, investment and access to each other’s huge markets.
Amb. Singh said this at a Media Meet Press Briefing and Dine-in Dinner with members of the Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DICAN) while answering questions from journalists.
He identified the creative economy as one of the emerging frontiers capable of deepening India-Nigeria relations.
The Ambassador said the Indian filmmakers could increasingly look to Nigeria as a production destination, with Nigerian actors and actresses featuring in Indian-backed productions while Nigerian filmmakers and talents gain opportunities in India.
“I think it’s an idea whose time has come,” Ambassador Singh said.
His remarks came as India and Nigeria continue to expand a bilateral relationship that now stretches across trade, investment, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, defence, agriculture, technology and culture.
Recent reports put bilateral trade between both countries at about $9 billion, up from $7.13 billion, while more than 200 Indian companies are operating in Nigeria and collectively employing close to 100,000 Nigerians.
Against that expanding economic relationship, Ambassador Singh believes the film industry could become another major engine of India-Nigeria commercial cooperation.
Amb Singh said Nigeria’s pool of talented actors and filmmakers presents a strong proposition for the Indian market.
“Nigerians are very talented actors,” the Ambassador said, explaining that India’s film industry respects talent and that Nigerian performers could find opportunities in the country’s enormous entertainment ecosystem.
He disclosed that Nigerian associations of film producers and actors had already engaged with him, adding that discussions were ongoing on projects designed to strengthen cooperation between the two industries.
The Ambassador also cited the work of Indian filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, who is based in Nigeria, as an example of what the partnership could produce.
He said Ahuja directed and produced Namaste Wahala, a Nigerian production that brought Indian and Nigerian talent together, while also working on other projects involving Indian collaboration.
For Amb Singh, such ventures demonstrate that the India-Nigeria film relationship is no longer merely an audience-to-audience cultural exchange but is capable of developing into a commercially driven production partnership.
The Ambassador said Indian filmmakers were increasingly travelling to different parts of the world to shoot movies and Nigeria could become an attractive destination.
He envisaged Indian productions being filmed in Nigeria with Nigerian actors and actresses, creating opportunities across the wider creative value chain.
That, he said, could benefit not only actors and producers but also technicians, hotels, transport operators, tourism businesses, advertising agencies, location managers, fashion designers and digital-content companies.
The opportunity is particularly significant because Nigeria’s entertainment industry already possesses a large domestic audience and a growing international footprint.
A deeper India-Nigeria film partnership could therefore position Nigeria as a production hub for Indian filmmakers seeking access to African locations, stories, audiences and talent.
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