Actor Idris Elba, who has roots in Ghana, recently visited the country and met with President Akufo-Addo to discuss his plans for improving the film industry.
As part of the Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiative, many people of African descent, including celebrities, are taking an interest in Ghana.
Idris Elba, born to a Sierra Leonean Creole father and a Ghanaian mother, intends to shoot a film in Ghana and work towards fine-tuning the country's film policies.
He also plans to establish a film school to pay homage to his heritage.
During his visit to the Jubilee House, Idris Elba spoke to the President about his vision for the film industry in Ghana.
According to Idris Elba, a successful film industry starts with sound policies.
He cited countries such as South Africa, Europe, Greece, and Morocco as examples of places that have invested in their policies and reaped the rewards of a thriving film industry.
Idris Elba praised the National Film Authority (NFA) for supporting his project and believes that his initiative will showcase Ghana as a country that is open to business and ready to attract investment.
"The National Flim Authority has done the work. Put together a comprehensive plan to propel Ghana into the forefront. It needs to be robust. It needs to be competitive. We believe for sure, and I know you believe in your legacy that you want to leave behind, that Ghana should step up to start attracting those filmmakers.
"What i want to do is that I have a film that I’m directing, and I’m hoping to bring that film, or at least some of that film, to shoot it in Ghana. That film will be here in December. We start pre-production in August. Some of the films, in two or three weeks, will be in Ghana by December."
Idris Elba concluded that this initiative will show the world that Ghana is open for business!