Abuja — Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, has called on the Ethiopian government to capture its rich cultural heritage in video form and export it to the rest of the world.

To do this successfully, the Minister invited the government to understudy the Nigerian Home Video industry (popularly called Nollywood) which he said was the third largest in the world, after the American Hollywood industry and the Indian Bollywood industry.

Senator Akpanudoedehe made the call in Abuja when he played host to the Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopian, Suleiman Dedefo, and members of the National Troupe on Monday.

The Troupe was on a performance tour of Nigeria from September 1-5, 2007 as part of a Bilateral Agreement to celebrate the Ethiopian-African Millennium 2007 but the FCT Minister of State told the delegation that capturing Ethiopian culture in video form would create wealth for the country and generate employment for its youths.

His words: " Nigeria is very rich in culture and tradition. Our population is put at over 140 million and we have over 250 ethnic groups, which explains why we are so rich in culture and tradition. We have hosted the All Black Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) and have won several honours in this regard over the years.