Access Bank Plc has reiterated its commitment to supporting the creative industry through improved funding and capacity building for artists.
Its Group Managing Director/CEO Herbert Wigwe said the lender’s support for the creative industry is part of its contribution to help the industry retell the African story in a positive light.
For instance, to talk about the growth Africa’s creative industry has made and continues to make over the past few years would be to acknowledge the various ways the industry has structurally failed to live up to its capabilities.
This, of course, has not been the fault of the artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians and other creatives actively striving for excellence in their various fields, rather, a direct consequence of these people having to work in a scarcely supported industry. This is where Access Bank comes in. As with the few indigenous corporations who have identified the funding gaps and potential in Africa’s creative industry, Access Bank has sunk its feet into the entertainment industry to enable, empower and spotlight the best of Africa’s talents across the film, art, music and fashion sectors.”
Think the Born in Africa Festival (BAFEST), ART X Lagos, The African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and the new reality talent hunt show, Access The Stars, among other socially impactful partnerships.
BAFEST is a yearly event Access Bank powers as one of the means through which the African story can be told via music, fashion, art, and film. True to its intentions, the event has become a celebration of the unparalleled dynamism of the African spirit, with a design to help facilitate a global connection to the continent.
Wigwe said: “We decided to beam the spotlight on the positive things coming out of Africa and that is why we created BAFEST, to not only bring Africans together to be entertained by Africans but also provide a platform for the world to experience the best of the African creative industry.”