A year ago, in Abidjan, during the launch of the Guide to Audiovisual and Film Production in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, the first Adweknow Meetings were held, bringing together renowned speakers such as 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.
The discussions that took place at that time identified three key priorities for supporting the development of this rapidly growing sector: strengthening training, diversifying financing, and structuring the market.
Twelve months later, where are we now?
Devote more resources to training
The issue of training has long been considered a priority for all stakeholders in the sector. This is no longer due to the low number of trained individuals, but because demand for new productions is increasing and skills development is not keeping pace with market needs.
Based on this observation, concrete initiatives have emerged in recent months: numerous mentoring programs, writing workshops, training in tools, etc. have helped develop the technical and creative skills of young talents.
In Benin, it was at the government's initiative that the first training courses were launched as part of the FUTURE OF FILM AFRICA project, the result of collaboration between Sémé City and Future of Film, a global leader in film innovation.
AFRIC’ART PROGRESS offered an intensive training course in film production administration, specially designed for Senegalese women.
In partnership with Orange Côte d’Ivoire, Dedy Bilamba and Eric M’Boua launched the second edition of the AFRO VFX program to train a new generation of African digital artists in cinematic special effects.
CANAL+ UNIVERSITY has continued to develop its intensive program, which has trained more than 1,000 participants from 20 countries each year through more than 60 training workshops.
Led by comedian MAMANE, the first training session of L’ECOLE DE COMEDIE DU GONDWANA took place at the French Institute in Abidjan, where 10 students were able to learn about writing and acting techniques, production, copyright, and the economics of theater and audiovisual media.
Last June, LAFAAAC (Académie Franco-Anglophone des Arts Audiovisuels et du Cinéma) offered exclusive, limited-time access to its entire training catalog for free on its digital training app!
All these examples, far from constituting an exhaustive list, show a growing awareness of the issues related to training. The demand exists, initiatives are multiplying: the machine is set in motion. While efforts must still be stepped up to meet growing demand, the foundations have been laid and the players mobilized.
Diversify funding sources
The issue of funding is and remains the other major challenge.
The expected diversification did not occur during the past year. There were no new players entering the market, and advertising was insufficient almost everywhere, showing signs of dynamism only during major sporting events (African Cup of Nations, Olympic Games, World Cup, etc.). Beyond what already exists, particularly in Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, there has been no new involvement from public authorities, except in Benin, which is affirming its desire to become a major player in this market on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, paradoxically, the number of better-funded productions has never been higher. Key players in the sector have continued and stepped up their efforts: over the past 24 months, CANAL+ has financed and broadcast more than a dozen series, including OR BLANC (On est ensemble productions), OBATANGA (Plan A), EWUSU (WOURI Studios), TERRANGA (Mediawan Africa) and LES COUPS DE LA VIE (Lully Grace production).
In addition to TERRANGA, the Mediawan/CANAL+ partnership also enabled the production and broadcast of the series BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB and LEX AFRICANA (the first African action series).
Despite the turmoil surrounding the departure of its president, Yves Bigot, TV5 Monde continues to invest in production, often in collaboration with African public broadcasters.
These are either pre-purchases, following on from successful seasons: ALLO TRIBUNAL (season 3) (60 episodes x 26 minutes / Ivory Coast), PARENTS MODE D’EMPLOI (season 7 and season 8 (200 episodes x 3 minutes / Gabon), or new series such as UNE FEMME À KOSYAM (6 episodes x 52 minutes / Burkina Faso) or ANKARA L’HÉRITAGE DES NANAS BENZ (16 episodes x 26 minutes / Togo) and season 2 of Wara La destinée d’Aicha.
Local channels are not to be outdone: in Ivory Coast, NCI, Life TV, and RTI are increasingly turning to local producers: AMITIES 2.0 (NCI), ISABELLE (Life TV with Orange TV), BUZZ (NCI with Orange TV); In Senegal, MARODI TV, which recently partnered with CANAL+, is launching a number of new series such as LADY DIAMA, PROMESSES, LA GRAINE DU POUVOIR, and DECHEANCES.
Organize and structure the market
The structure of the African audiovisual market has been strengthened, particularly thanks to the proliferation of events and festivals dedicated to cinema and television series. Since the demise of DISCOP Africa, new events have emerged and been added to the list of existing events.
For example, let's mention
FFAA The Abidjan Animation Film Festival (FFAA) from April 29 to May 5, 2024, in Abidjan
The Africa Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival from May 14 to 25, 2024
FILM WEEK July 13–20, 2024, in Brazzaville, Congo
FICKIN 2024 The Kinshasa Film Festival October 3–6, 2024, in KINSHASA
AFRICA CINEMA SUMMIT from October 7 to 10, 2043, in Accra, Ghana
DAKAR SERIES from October 8 to 12, 2024 in Dakar
BLACK SCREENS October 19–26, 2024 in Yaoundé
SICA SICA 2024 on November 5, 6, and 7, 2024, in Abidjan
DOUALA SERIES: November 20–23, 2024, in Douala (2nd edition)
In addition, the 29th edition of FESPACO will take place from February 22 to March 1, 2025, in Ouagadougou.
Challenges remain, but progress in these three areas is undeniable. The audiovisual and film sector in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing a transformation, driven by a collective desire to build a sustainable industry rich in talent and potential.