In a recent announcement, the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs of Kenya disclosed that they have signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding with Netflix in an effort to strengthen the Kenyan creative industry and support a new generation of storytellers.
“ICT Infrastructure in the country has improved thus presenting a good business environment for OTT platforms such as Netflix. This MoU will not only facilitate job creation in the country but also unlock training opportunities for screen sector development. We welcome this partnership with Netflix because Kenya has many stories to tell the world and all the initiatives with the various partners will help us ensure we have the ability to create quality stories.”
Joe Mucheru, CS, ICT
“We are cognizant that there are positive socio-economic outputs generated by our service in the countries where we invest. This MoU will play a major role in harnessing these positive externalities driving impact beyond direct investment in local content only, to measurable inputs in other crucial aspects of the screen production value chain – such as human and institutional capacity development.”
Ms. Shola Sanni, Director of Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa, Netflix
“Netflix is excited by the potential of Kenya’s next generation of creative storytellers. We believe there are great stories in Kenya and we want to do our part for Kenya’s creative community by supporting the development of the local film and TV industry and talent pipelines, both in front of and behind the camera, through partnership initiatives . We also hope that the stories will encompass themes which are unique to Kenya, which our global audiences will find appealing.”
Dorothy Ghettuba, Director of Series in Africa, Netflix
“Thank you to our Cabinet Secretary, Hon Joe Mucheru and our PS Miss Esther Koimett for their continued commitment to the growth of the film industry and thank you to the Netflix team for choosing to invest in the Kenyan film sector. This partnership will see us continue on our journey in the development of a vibrant Film and TV industry that reflects Kenyan identity, character and cultural diversity and will help the Film Industry to be appreciated further for its potential to contribute significantly to the Kenyan economy.”
Timothy Owase, CEO, Kenyan Film Commission
