What role can the movie industry play in stimulating interest and changing poor perceptions about agriculture?

Key practitioners in the movie industry in Nigeria and India are meeting at the 2017 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group in Ahmedabad, India, to agree on a line of action towards changing perceptions on agriculture.

Nigeria's Nollywood and India's Bollywood films have a large following in Africa, Asia and around the world.

In Africa, the movie industry is emerging as an important contributor to gross domestic product and employment in countries like Nigeria. It is also the case in India.

However, the entertainment industry - especially the film industry - too often portrays agriculture simply as a way of surviving for the poor.

The entertainment industry has the power and influence to dynamically change these perceptions by projecting agriculture as an economic sector with infinite profitable business opportunities, and a force for structural transformation.

The 'Nollywood Meets Bollywood' event kick off with a panel discussion on the status of the film industry in Nigeria and India, the challenges and opportunities for the industry's development and how the industry must transform how it portrays agriculture and rural life.

The evening will continue with a networking cocktail and the screening of an African movie.

"We need to jumpstart the transformation of the agricultural sector. The future of the rural world depends on the future of agriculture. Agriculture must move away from being treated as a social sector for managing poverty in rural areas to a business for creating wealth," says President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina.

A session on Changing Perceptions on Agriculture: The Role of the Entertainment Industry ('Nollywood Meets Bollywood') is planned for Wednesday, May 24 to bring together captains of the film industry from Nigeria and India at the Annual Meetings.

Drawing on its High 5 Agenda, the Bank is investing in high-growth sectors that have the potential to promote women's economic empowerment and create 25 million jobs over the next decade.

In this context, the creative industries offer massive potential for continent-wide job and GDP growth.

The Meetings are the Bank's largest annual event and serve to raise the profile of the institution on the global stage.

The 2017 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group will be held on May 22-26, 2017.