The 2016 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) would be taking place in the garden city of Port Harcourt, Rivers state -The Treasure Base of the Nation. AMAA is a pan-African and Africa Diaspora reward system for motion picture practitioners.
The AMAA fest first held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State in 2004 when the Government and people of Bayelsa state hosted the maiden event in the capital Yenegoa. AMAA in the Bayelsa capital where it held very successfully for nine years was always very successful and exciting with the flavor of a High Octane Celebrity Celebrations in the tick of the rain forest.
The 2016 AMAA in Port Harcourt, Rivers State – In a statement jointly signed by the state Commissioner of Culture & Tourism, Tonye Briggs Oniyide on behalf of the state Governor, and the founder of the awards organization, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, this year’s awards ceremony will be the beginning of a partnership that will add immense value to the people of the state and the host city in particular as the government is determined to position Port Harcourt as a destination of choice in Nigeria and West Africa.
Tonye Briggs said, “We are repositioning Rivers State as a state ready for business to Nigerians and the rest of the world and our partnership with AMAA will become a veritable platform to attract tourists, global and Nigeria icons in business and the entertainment industry.
We want to showcase Rivers State as a peaceful place where socio-economic activities thrive and also the hospitality of our people. There is a huge economy around entertainment and show business in Port Harcourt.
While our state is known for her hydrocarbon resources, His Excellency, Governor Wike’s administration through the Ministry of Culture & Tourism through initiatives like AMAA wants the world to know and take advantage of the business opportunities that abound in Rivers State,”
The commissioner also added that the state would soon unveil a calendar of entertainment and tourist activities that will create job opportunities for the youths of the state.
The awards founder, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe also added that it indeed marks the beginning of a new phase in the journey of the continental awards that started 12 years ago, “We are very happy with this development and express our gratitude to Governor Wike and the good people of Rivers State. We value this partnership and we promise that it will be a rewarding one for the government and people of this great state.”
The 2016 AMAA event will now hold on Saturday 11th of June and the nomination night where nominees into the 28 categories will be announced will hold on Wednesday 11th of May 2016. Previous nomination nights took place in Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Banjul, Lilongwe, Ouagadougou and Los Angeles.
As part of the pre-AMAA activities, Rivers state will host a sponsorship night in conjunction with the Africa Film Academy to mobilize corporate sponsors for the awards while the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has been signed on as the major broadcast partner for the awards night with a Live Telecast to over 100 million people across the globe.