Kunle Afolayan, Nigerian filmmaker, has formalised a cross-border partnership with the Benin Republic government, signing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to promote regional collaboration among West Africa’s film industry.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Lagos with the Société de Productions Audiovisuelles (SOPA), positions Kunle Afolayan Productions as a strategic partners in Benin’s efforts to strengthen its audiovisual sector and attract large-scale productions.
At the centre of the agreement is a proposed Orisha/Vodun-themed television series, structured as a joint Nigerian–Beninese production. Beyond its cultural dimension, the project is expected to drive job creation, skills transfer, and infrastructure use across both markets.
As part of the engagement process, acclaimed filmmaker and industry trailblazer Kunle Afolayan, last month, led a high-powered management delegation of KAP Group to the Republic of Benin, where they held extensive meetings with senior government officials and key stakeholders in the country’s audio-visual and cinematography sectors. The discussions centred on building sustainable frameworks to elevate local content creation, strengthen technical capacity, and position the Republic of Benin as an emerging hub for film and creative excellence in Africa.
Following the directive of the Beninese President, a high-level government delegation is set to visit KAP Group in Nigeria to formalise this partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signalling the official commencement of this transformative collaboration.
During the visit, the delegation will undertake an extensive tour of KAP Group’s state-of-the-art production hub in Lagos, as well as the renowned KAP Film Village & Resort located in Igbojaye-Komu, Oyo State, a pioneering creative ecosystem widely regarded as a model for integrated film production, training, and cultural tourism in Africa.
Speaking on the development, Afolayan described the partnership as a defining moment for African cinema, where visionary leadership, cultural authenticity, and creative enterprise converge to build a future driven by our own stories, our own people, and our own possibilities.
Through KAP Group, Afolayan oversees the KAP Film & Television Academy and the KAP Film Village & Resort, facilities developed to train talent and host large-scale shoots locally.
The collaboration will build on the filmmaker’s expanding international footprint. His epic movie Aníkúlápó was able to get global streaming distribution, while earlier titles such as October 1 and The Figurine (Araromire) are know with raising production standards in contemporary Nigerian cinema.
