The Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF) has announced plans to unlock a $20 billion pan-African film economy aimed at tackling the persistent underfunding and informality that continue to hinder the continent’s vibrant yet fragmented film industry.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Convener of AFFF, Mary Ephraim-Egbas, on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to Ephraim-Egbas, storytelling originated in Africa and, for decades, African narratives have shaped culture, inspired social movements, and fostered community connections.
She said in spite of these stories, the continent’s economy remained largely informal and undercapitalised.
“But to compete globally, Africa must move beyond telling stories to monetising them by industrialising the film sector and positioning African content as both heritage and high-value export.
“AFFF is changing that narrative by building pipelines that link creative talent to financial tools, policies and platforms,” she said.
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Ephraim-Egbas said this would be achieved through AFFF 2025, which is scheduled to hold from Sept. 16 to 18, in Lagos.
The Co-chair of AFFF’s Public Relations and Strategic Communications Committee, Bolaji Abimbola, said unlocking a $20 billion industry would start with recognising film as infrastructure, creative, economic and strategic.
“AFFF isn’t just about films; it’s about jobs, exports, digital platforms and policy shifts that make growth inevitable,” she said.
Another Co-chair of AFFF, Clarina De Freitas, said Africa’s stories are the continent’s leverage, but only when matched with financing, distribution and institutional credibility.
“From informal markets to cinema screens and mobile streaming to cross-border co-productions, AFFF is focused on building a Pan-African film ecosystem.
“Not one led by extractive interests but by Africans who understand the value of their narratives and the necessity of owning their industries,” she said.
The upcoming forum is with the theme, ‘Pan-African Film Economy: Building a $20 billion Industry for 1.4 billion People.’
The forum is expected to bring together a cross-section of industry stakeholders, filmmakers, investors, policymakers, financiers, distributors and tech innovators to design the systems that would transform creativity into structured capital growth.