By Funsho Arogundade
African Movie Academy Award, the prestigious pan-African reward system for the motion picture practitioners, has found a new home in the garden city, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
This follows a very successful nine consecutive editions in Bayelsa State, one in Abuja, Lagos and Port Elizabeth, South Africa respectively.
Reports have it that Rivers State government signed the hosting right with the management of AMAA making the state the second sub-national government in Nigeria to tap into the huge potentials of AMAA for destination branding.
Mrs. Tonye Briggs Oniyide, state Commissioner of Culture & Tourism, who signed the hosting right on behalf of Governor Nyesom Wike, said hosting the award this year will be the beginning of a partnership that will add immense value to the people of the state and the host city in particular.
“We are repositioning Rivers State as a state ready for business to Nigerians and the rest of the world and our partnership with AMAA will become a veritable platform to attract tourists, global and Nigeria icons in business and the entertainment industry. We want to showcase Rivers State as a peaceful place where socio-economic activities thrive and also the hospitality of our people. There is a huge economy around entertainment and show business in Port Harcourt,” Oniyide said.
She noted that the state government is determined to position Port Harcourt as a destination of choice in Nigeria and West Africa, adding that the state will soon unveil a calendar of entertainment and tourist activities that will create job opportunities for the teeming youths of the state.
“While our state is known for her hydrocarbon resources His Excellency, Governor Wike’s administration through the Ministry of Culture & Tourism through initiatives like AMAA wants the world to know and take advantage of the business opportunities that abound in Rivers State,” she added.
Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, founder of the awards organisation, while speaking on the new partnership with the state, said that it marks the beginning of a new phase in the journey of the continental awards that started 12 years ago.
“We are very happy with this development and express our gratitude to Governor Wike and the good people of Rivers State. We value this partnership and we promise that it will be a rewarding one for the government and people of this great state,” Anyiam-Osigwe stated.
This year’s awards will now take place on Saturday 11 June and the nomination night where nominees into the 28 categories will be announced will hold on Wednesday 11 May.
The previous nomination nights had taken place in Accra, Ghana; Nairobi, Kenya; Johannesburg, South Africa; Banjul, Gambia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Los Angeles, United States of America.
As part of the pre-AMAA activities, the state will host a sponsorship night in conjunction with the Africa Film Academy to mobilize corporate sponsors for the awards while the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has been signed on as the major broadcast partner for the awards night with a Live Telecast to over 100 million people across the globe.
Other media partners include Africa Magic, OHTV UK, SABC South Africa and ONT