By Modupe Gbadeyanka

One of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications and connectivity providers, ipNX, successfully powered the Queen Esther Musical, presented by the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN).

The event, held on April 10, 2026, at the Guiding Light Assembly, Parkview, Ikoyi, Lagos, reinforced ipNX’s role as a key enabler of innovation across industries through reliable, high-speed connectivity, as it served as a powerful demonstration of how telecommunications infrastructure can elevate creative expression and redefine audience engagement.

The Queen Esther Musical delivered a captivating blend of music, drama, and visual storytelling to a packed audience.

Behind the scenes, ipNX’s advanced fibre-optic infrastructure played a critical role in ensuring seamless execution, supporting the production’s extensive technical requirements, from synchronised audiovisual systems to real-time digital enhancements that enriched the overall experience for the audience within the auditorium and on digital platforms.

As sophisticated technology integrates into live performances, the demand for stable, high-capacity bandwidth to deliver this experience to online audiences has become essential. ipNX provided technical support, delivering uninterrupted connectivity that enabled production teams to coordinate effectively and execute a technically complex show without disruption.

“Our involvement in the Queen Esther Musical reflects our commitment to powering experiences that matter. This production broadcast required precision, speed, and reliability, all of which our network is designed to deliver.

“Beyond telecoms, we see ourselves as partners in progress across sectors, and this collaboration with SPAN highlights how our solutions can seamlessly support the creative industry just as effectively as we do small enterprises and critical services,” the Head of Sales for ipNX Retail, Akintunde Taiwo, stated.

Also commenting, the founder of SPAN, Ms Sarah Boulous, said, “We were proud to collaborate with ipNX on the Queen Esther Musical. The scale and ambition of this production required a technology partner we could rely on completely as we wanted the audience to enjoy seamless streaming on the Zaia app.

“ipNX delivered exceptional bandwidth and stability, allowing us to integrate digital elements seamlessly and create a truly memorable experience. Their support played a significant role in bringing our creative vision to life.”

There’s a bigger truth at the heart of every award season: an entire industry can’t be neatly packaged into a list of winners and nominees.

It’s just not that simple.

There are too many moving parts. Too many stories. Too many people are doing the actual work on screen, behind the scenes, in rooms nobody sees, on sets that don’t trend, on projects that don’t always make the final cut of conversations.

And yet, that’s what most award shows try to do. Wrap everything up in one night. Hand out plaques. Roll credits.

But the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) approaches it differently, and that difference shows in how the entire week is designed.

Because instead of compressing the industry into one moment, AMVCA stretches it out. It creates space. It acknowledges that different parts of the industry need different kinds of recognition.

Take Young Filmmakers’ Day, for example. This is not about who has “arrived.” It’s about who is coming. The ones still figuring it out, still building, still trying to get seen in an industry that doesn’t always make room easily. This day shifts the focus from applause to access. It says the future of the industry deserves its own spotlight, not as an afterthought, but as a starting point.

Then there’s Icons Night, and this is where memory comes in. Because long before the current wave, before the buzz, before the visibility, there were people who held things together. Who created, contributed, and carried the industry in ways that don’t always translate into award categories. AMVCA makes room for that kind of recognition, too, the kind that isn’t about competition but about contribution.

Cultural Night does something else entirely. It reminds you that beyond the films and the series and the technical credits, there’s identity. There’s heritage. There’s a deeper layer to the work being celebrated. It’s expressive, it’s vibrant, it’s fun, but it’s also grounding. Because storytelling doesn’t exist in isolation; it’s shaped by culture, by language, by lived experience. And this night leans fully into that.

And then, finally, Awards Night. The part everyone shows up for. The glamour, the wins, the reactions, the moments that will dominate timelines. It’s the culmination, the high point.

But when you look at everything that happens before it, you start to realise something important:

The awards are just one piece of the puzzle.

What AMVCA gets right is understanding that the industry is not one story; it’s many stories happening at once. Some loud, some quiet. Some celebrated, some overlooked. And if you’re going to truly honour that, you have to go beyond a single night.

So instead of trying to make everything fit into one frame, AMVCA expands the frame.

And in doing that, it doesn’t just celebrate winners. It celebrates the work, the people, and the layers that make the industry what it is.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

No fewer than 20 young filmmakers from Nigeria and Ghana have completed the 2026 cohort of the MultiChoice Talent Factory West Africa Academy.

This is an initiative of MultiChoice, a Canal + Company, designed to develop young talent for Africa’s film and television industry.

The nine-month programme, put in place in partnership with Pan-Atlantic University, blends academic excellence with hands-on industry exposure, offering specialised training in directing, producing, scriptwriting, cinematography, and editing.

Demonstrating their readiness for the business of film, five graduates launched two independent companies during the academic year: Muri Marun Stories, a production house founded by Tolulope Akande, Opeyemi Obasa, and Dorathy Ufot; and CineX Mart Limited, a marketing and distribution firm established by Abdulsalam Ibrahim Oladimeji and Audu Israel Yakubu.

In recognition of this innovation, Muri Marun Stories Limited was announced as the recipient of the CEO’s Entrepreneurial Award, accompanied by a N2 million prize to support the company’s growth.

CineX Mart Limited also received special recognition for its strong business potential and early industry traction. It is already making significant industry inroads, having successfully placed the short film The Phone Call on Minflix and managing the marketing for the MTF film Trouble for Two.

Individual creative excellence was equally prominent, with student Kwaku Edusei Acquah earning the Audience Choice Award at the Lift-Off Global Network Film Festival for his film. The Imperfect Plan, alongside notable projects from peers Amirat Yakub and Emmanuella Nwachukwu.

Further recognising his outstanding creativity, Kwaku Edusei Acquah was awarded the Creative Innovator Award by the University for the Creative Arts, presented by Seyi Agboola, Senior International Recruitment Manager. The award comes with a £1,500 prize to support his continued development.

“This graduation marks a defining moment not just for these students, but for the future of African storytelling. They are no longer learners, but part of a distinguished creative community shaping narratives across the continent.

“Through their work, they are already creating jobs, inspiring communities, and positioning African stories where they belong; at the centre of the global stage,” the chief executive of MultiChoice Nigeria, Ms Kemi Omotosho, said.

On his part, the Dean for the School of Media and Communication at Pan Atlantic University, Mr Ikechukwu Obiaya, said, “This is the end of a phase, but only the beginning of your journey. You must commit to continuous learning, collaboration, and curiosity. The industry does not reward complacency; it rewards those who are intentional about growth.”

MTF’s long-term impact is best mirrored in the global success of its alumni. Most recently, the Class of 2021’s digital platform, Filmmakers Mart, received World Bank Group support to fuel a five-country expansion. Furthermore, Blessing Bulus earned the Women in Arts Impact Grant for the documentary Mi Tazi, while Ebuwa Desmond Ekunwe secured a prestigious fellowship at Germany’s Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Additionally, Alice Johnson has stepped into a key leadership role at the Goethe-Institut, coordinating Africa-Europe cultural partnerships.