The first Adweknow meetings took place in Abidjan on October 12, with prestigious speakers in attendance.
After a brief presentation of the Adweknow Guide to Audiovisual and Film Production in French-speaking Africa, Angela AQUEREBURU, co-founder of YOBO studios, Ana BALLO, Director of RTI distribution, Pierre CECCALDI, co-founder of "On est ensemble productions," Michel MUTOMBO-CARTIER, CEO of A+ and A+Ivoire, and Awoua KEITA, Program Specialist at Côte Ouest, participated in a fascinating round table discussion from which three key ideas emerged.
The first is the need to devote more resources to training: due to a lack of skills in certain key areas of production, the number of products that can be launched in Côte d'Ivoire remains relatively limited. More trained professionals are needed to enable Côte d'Ivoire to produce at a level that meets demand. As Michel Mutombo-Cartier pointed out, however, there is no shortage of initiatives such as those undertaken by CANAL+UNIVERSITY: these training efforts must be continued and expanded.
The second concerns the diversification of funding sources: today, only a few players are involved in financing works produced in Côte d'Ivoire: CANAL+ and TV5 Monde, RTI, new DTT channels such as NCI, FONSIC, and French-speaking organizations such as OIF and CNC.
Angela AQUEREBURU emphasized that audiovisual production is a cultural industry that creates jobs and contributes to the country's influence. It should not be seen as a cost center but as an activity that generates jobs and economic activity.
Funding by advertisers, either directly (by financing production) or indirectly (by purchasing advertising on television channels), is key, even if it remains limited: in many countries, it is the driving force behind the development of the audiovisual sector.
It is essential to raise awareness among advertisers about the effectiveness of television advertising and to take action to grow the local advertising market.
According to Awoua KEITA, selling French-language productions to English-speaking African channels and platforms could be another source of income for producers and distributors, but Pierre CECCALDI believes this is virtually impossible because English speakers are resistant to dubbed or subtitled programs. However, advances in artificial intelligence in the field of dubbing could change the situation in the medium term.
Finally, as Ana BALLO mentioned, the need for dialogue and collaboration between competing structures and the need to organize and structure the market is considered by all to be another priority. Making consensual proposals to public authorities, pooling energies towards a common goal, enabling works to circulate more fluidly, being better informed about events and initiatives related to production… there are many common topics.
As such, the ADWEKNOW Guide, which for the first time provides a comprehensive overview of the sector, is widely regarded as an important asset for the future and development of African audiovisual and film production.
To support this initiative and order copies of the Guide, click here.