Mo Abudu Tasks African Filmmakers to Scale Budgets for Richer African Stories

Nigerian media mogul and filmmaker Mosunmola Abudu, popularly known as Mo Abudu, has emphasised the need for higher budgets and investments in the African film industry.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EbonyLife Group, on May 7, 2025, recently spoke on Next Africa Bloomberg, discussing the Afro Film Fund (AFF), a film financing initiative she is developing.

Abudu said that despite the almost equal opportunities that small budgets offer African filmmakers, scaling is important for the future of African stories.

“Now is the time to scale. We must move beyond micro-budgets and step confidently into larger, bolder projects. Not every film needs to be made at $100 million – but we must be ambitious.

And with initiatives like the Afro Film Fund, which I’m building alongside key DFIs, we’re setting the stage to finance and produce stories that travel far beyond our shores,” she said.

Abudu noted that the global creative economy is evolving, which presents a significant opportunity for African filmmakers to thrive.

However, she pointed out the insufficiency of marketing budgets for African films, which could make a huge difference in the success of a film.