The Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp, has called on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to prioritise the advancement of local creative talents on its platforms.
This follows the signing of an MoU aimed at strengthening Namibia's film and creative industries.
The initiative is aligned with NDP6 and focuses on developing local film practitioners, creating jobs and building a sustainable creative economy.
The Namibia Content Creation Plan is a grassroots initiative developed by the Filmmakers Association of Namibia (FAN) in collaboration with the Namibia Film Commission (NFC) to develop a sustainable creative economic ecosystem.
The Education Ministry has committed N$17.5 million, with about 470 direct jobs expected to be created.
“We also look forward to the NBC playing an important role in supporting this initiative through its broadcasting platforms and networks. We hope NBC will partner in the earmarked initiatives and contribute to ensuring that Namibian content, made by us and for us, can reach audiences in Namibia, across the region and beyond,” noted Dr Steenkamp.
The Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, stated that the creative industry should be recognised beyond entertainment, and efforts should be aimed at creating a professional ecosystem that can attract financial institutions and support sustainable economic growth.
“This MOU is primarily anchored by the Namibia Content Creation Plan, which will see the production of a national soap opera, the commissioning of two distinct limited television series across various genres and the commissioning of 14 regional short films. The government will also be in a position to provide the much-needed production equipment which will fill the equipment gap that now exists.”
The NFC Chairperson Esther Beukes explained that cooperation between the two ministries is important because of their complementary roles in communication, education, arts and culture.
“So this MoU creates an opportunity for us to come together, for us to collaborate and work together, to align our mandates, our resources and our expertise.”
NFC will play a key role in implementing the areas of cooperation, while FAN and other stakeholders will support the development of Namibia's film industry.