Award-winning Nigerian film producer Kunle Afolayan today signed an agreement with the government of Republic of Benin aimed at transforming the audio-visual and film production landscape in the West African sub-region.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), described as “a landmark move set to redefine the future of African storytelling and cross-border creative collaboration,” was signed at the KAP Hub, Kunle Afolayan’s one-stop creative centre and head office of his KAP Group, in Lagos, between Afolayan’s KAP Group and high-level representatives of the Beninese government, following an invitation from the latter’s Presidency.
A press statement issued by the KAP Group said the the signing “marks another major Pan-African collaboration by the Group, reinforcing its growing role in building strategic creative alliances across the continent aimed at strengthening African cinema, empowering youth, and developing globally competitive creative infrastructure.”
It added: “This historic partnership reflects a shared vision to harness the power of cinema, youth development, and creative enterprise as drivers of cultural diplomacy, economic growth, and Africa’s global creative influence.”
It disclosed that as part of the engagement process, Afolayan and an Executive Director of the KAP Group, ‘Seun Soyinka, had last month led a high-powered management delegation of the Group to the Republic of Benin, where extensive consultations were held with senior government officials and key stakeholders in the country’s audio-visual and cinematography sectors.
Their discussions focused on building sustainable frameworks to elevate local content creation, strengthen technical capacity, and position the Republic of Benin as an emerging hub for film and creative excellence in Africa.
Today’s signing of the MoU followed the directive of the Beninese President, formalising this partnership and signalling the official commencement of this transformative collaboration.
Members of today’s visiting delegation include Sinatou Saka, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Benin for Media and Audiovisual Affairs; Coline-Lee Toumson-Venite, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Benin for Arts and Culture; Bassirou Ndiaye, CEO SOPA S.A., Faissol Gnonlonfin, Director of Cinema and Performing Arts at the Agency for the Development of Arts and Culture (ADAC), representing the Minister of Culture; and Meto Adoglo, Programme Manager for Storytelling at Sèmè City.
The host team was led by the Group CEO, the Executive Director and Professor Tunji Azeez, Head of School, KAP Film & Television Academy.
The new partnership focusses on three pillars of co-production of films that authentically tell African stories and expand the global reach of the continent’s cinema; structured youth training across all areas of filmmaking and creative production and finally the development, equipping and operation of a world-class Film City in Ouidah, Benin.
These three pillars will benefit immensely from the expertise of some existing subsidiaries within the KAP Group such as KAP Motion Pictures, KAP Film & Television Academy and KAP Film Village & Resort, respectively.
As part of the official programme taking place from February 19-22, the delegation will tour KAP Group’s state-of-the-art production hub in Lagos, as well as the KAP Film Village & Resort in Igbojaye-Komu, Oyo State, a pioneering creative ecosystem widely regarded as a model for integrated film production, training, and cultural tourism in Africa.
Speaking on the development, Afolayan described the collaboration as “a defining moment for African cinema, where visionary leadership, cultural authenticity, and creative enterprise converge to project our stories, our people, and our creative strength to the world in the most compelling way.”
Also commenting, the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Media and Audio-Visual Affairs, Sinatou Saka, expressed excitement that the proposed collaboration has now been formalised.
“We are finally happy to be working in partnership with Kunle Afolayan, especially in the area of capacity building,” she said.
Both parties describe the agreement as the beginning of a long-term strategic alliance committed to raising the bar for film production, creative education, and cultural expression across Africa.
The press statement noted: “This partnership further reinforces KAP Group’s pioneering role in reshaping the narrative of African cinema through innovation, talent development, and infrastructure building.
“At the forefront of this movement, Kunle Afolayan continues to champion Pan-African creative collaboration, advancing a unified continental voice and showcasing authentic African stories on the global stage with excellence and cultural pride.”
It also said: “KAP Group is a leading African creative and production company dedicated to film, television, training, hospitality and cultural development.
“Through creative innovation, infrastructure, and talent development, the Group continues to champion authentic African culture, storytelling and build globally competitive creative ecosystems.”
