(Business in Cameroon) – At Yaoundé’s Écrans Noirs film festival, bankers and cultural leaders sat down to tackle a question that has long haunted Cameroon’s film industry: how to turn creative ambition into investable projects. The Société Commerciale de Banque Cameroun, a unit of Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank, told filmmakers that passion alone won’t unlock credit lines.
“What we expect are financially sustainable projects, with repayment schedules and profitability timelines,” an SCB representative said during a panel chaired by festival director Bassek Ba Kobhio. To illustrate, the bank pointed to a CFAF 300 million ($480,000) film budget. Producers, it said, must back such a request with a detailed business plan showing revenue streams, recovery timelines and repayment modalities.
Cameroon lacks a dedicated film production fund. The Ministry of Arts and Culture offers limited schemes, leaving most producers to rely on donor grants or personal savings. Commercial lenders remain wary, citing piracy, lack of collateral and poor revenue reporting. That caution has left much of the industry undercapitalized, even as regional peers push ahead. Nigeria’s Nollywood, for instance, has leveraged both private equity and government-backed initiatives to become a $6 billion industry, according to PwC.
At a continental level, financing options are beginning to shift. In June, the African Export-Import Bank launched its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) program, pledging $1 billion for loans, equity and guarantees in film and audiovisual ventures. The facility is designed to de-risk cultural projects and encourage commercial bank lending.
For filmmakers, the path to credit requires greater professionalization. Banks expect producers to register intellectual property, sign distribution deals and present audited financials. Some lenders are also training staff to understand film production cycles and risk structures, recognizing that creative projects cannot be assessed like standard businesses. “Écrans Noirs acts as a bridge between creatives and financiers,” Ba Kobhio said. “The dialogue between the two sectors is necessary for cinema to be financed like any other industry.”
Cynthia Ebot Takang
