A new all-in-one digital application, Bebuzee, created to empower African youths and creatives with multiple income-generating opportunities, has been launched in Lagos.
The app combines social networking, Artificial Intelligence, entertainment, streaming, e-commerce, creator monetisation and other services within a single ecosystem.
As part of the launch, the Bebuzee platform also announced seven Nollywood stars as its brand ambassadors.
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The ambassadors are Prince Jide Kosoko, Patience Ozokwor, Segun Arinze, Ebele Okaro, Zubby Michael, Destiny Etiko and Paul Obazele.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bebuzee, Joseph Onyero, said the concept behind the platform dated back to 2004, when he and some friends in Cambridge developed a messaging-service idea that was never rolled out.
Onyero stated that the long-term ambition is to build a digital utility platform for Africa, with Bebuzee aiming to attract over 400 million users across the continent as it expands its offerings and coverage.
According to him, the platform was built to allow users to communicate, create content, access entertainment, shop, work and earn. He disclosed that Bebuzee currently provides more than 15 products and services, creating earning opportunities through content creation, freelancing and other digital engagements.
He highlighted that Bebuzee streaming, which he said is headquartered in Amsterdam, focuses on African films and features profiles that link actors and actresses to their movies.
In his keynote address, the Director-General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, said the biggest challenge facing Nigeria’s film industry was gradually moving from production to distribution and monetisation.
Husseini traced Nollywood’s distribution journey from videocassettes and traditional film markets to VCDs, DVDs, cinemas, satellite television, YouTube and streaming platforms.
He noted that digital platforms have opened up opportunities for Nigerian and African stories to reach a global audience, but emphasised that global exposure must be matched with quality, originality, strong intellectual property and efficient monetisation.
He urged digital platforms to ensure that the value derived from creative works returns to the creators through proper contracts, copyright protection, licensing, revenue sharing and transparency.
The NFVCB chief also reminded digital platforms that online distribution does not exempt them from regulatory responsibilities, stressing that films distributed or exhibited digitally remain subject to relevant laws and classification requirements.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, Mrs Bukola Agbaminoja, said AI could support creatives in areas such as song and voice generation, report preparation and script transformation, noting that the technology is already becoming part of the creative workflow.
Veteran actor Jide Kosoko recalled that there were initial concerns that emerging technologies could displace practitioners, but said the industry had consistently adapted.
Other speakers at the event explored the idea of developing voice banks where voice artistes could register their voices and earn royalties.
Participants also called for collaboration with relevant regulatory and technology bodies to create safeguards around AI-generated content, voice cloning, deepfakes, copyright and data protection.
The Zonal Director of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Lagos Network Centre, Dr Evelyn Nwosu, said the broadcaster was open to strategic partnerships that could advance Nigeria’s digital media ecosystem.
