Funke Akindele met with Lagos officials to discuss support and collaboration on her upcoming projects.

The Lagos State Government is set to collaborate with the Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, on an upcoming movie and reality TV show.

The filmmaker visited the state’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Toke Benson Awoyinka, on Thursday, May 9, 2024, to request support for initiatives to identify and nurture new talent in the creative industry.

“I am very aware of the contribution of the State Government to the creative sector. Since our aim and objective of developing the industry are the same I thought it would be great to collaborate with the Lagos State Government on two projects aimed at discovering and developing new talents who will be mentored and assisted to climb the ladder of success and take over as shining stars of the industry in future,” Akindele said.

Awoyinka explained that the ministry collaborates with Ebonylife Academy, Africa Movie Academy, and Gidi Creative Centre to provide filmmaking instruction, and supports festivals and The Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

She added that ₦400 million in grants had been awarded to filmmakers and that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has pledged to double the amount.

Akindele thanked Awoyinka for the meeting and discussed possible partnerships between the state and her production company in a post on X on Wednesday, May 15.

“It was such an honour to meet with the Honorable Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture for Lagos State, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, and other executives of the Ministry on project collaborations between the Lagos State Government and Funke Akindele Network Limited!

“We are grateful for this amazing opportunity and we look forward to maximizing the Culture, Tourism and Media sectors of Lagos State,” Akindele stated.

The upcoming movies that Akindele is working on include Finding Me and Everybody Loves Jenifa. These movies will be produced through her Funke Akindele Network (FAAN).