Nigerian digital monetisation expert Barrister Ufuoma Okonoko has launched a comprehensive technological strategy aimed at securing billions of dollars in foreign revenue for the country's creative industry. The framework focuses on the targeted distribution, strategic marketing, and commercialisation of indigenous entertainment and homegrown products for global consumers.
Okonoko, who also works as a Nollywood actress and producer under the professional name Angel Ufuoma, noted that Nigeria's cultural ecosystem holds immense financial potential. She pointed to filmmaking, Afrobeats music, fashion, culinary arts, publishing, pharmaceuticals, arts, crafts, and tourism as primary sectors poised to benefit from expanded access to overseas markets.
How does the Blaze Channel initiative operate?
The framework centres on the operation of Blaze Channel, a United States-based digital monetisation platform created to stream and generate revenue from Nigerian films while simultaneously opening international channels for other domestic goods and services. Okonoko spent a decade collaborating with software developers in the United States to build the infrastructure before its official rollout in 2018. Since inception, the platform has registered over 2,000 subscribers worldwide.
According to the operating model, the global popularity of Nigerian films and music serves as a cultural gateway. Once international audiences are engaged through entertainment content, the platform introduces them to alternative Nigerian offerings, including fashion apparel, literary publications, health products, artificial intelligence applications, and artisanal crafts.
What are the broader economic objectives?
The initiative aims to resolve the longstanding challenge Nigerian filmmakers face in securing adequate returns on their cinematic investments. Beyond film distribution, the strategy seeks to stimulate foreign direct investment and boost tourism by showcasing the nation's artistic talent and business opportunities to a worldwide demographic.
Atlantic World Digital Communications, the parent company led by Nigerian- American filmmaker Tony Abulu as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is actively seeking additional funding. The capital injection is intended to acquire expanded distribution rights for more Nollywood features and bolster marketing budgets to scale the platform's subscriber base.
Furthermore, Abulu plans to introduce the platform's operational concept to American business leaders through various United States chambers of commerce to forge strategic commercial partnerships. Blaze Channel has also submitted an application to the Creative Economy Development Fund to support its expansion goals.
Targeting the African-American market
Okonoko emphasised the lucrative nature of the African-American consumer demographic in the United States, noting their significant annual purchasing power as a prime market for Nigerian commercial goods.
"Wait until we truly unleash our monetisation potential of billions of dollars in the African-American community in the USA, where our 'cousins' already spend two trillion dollars annually as consumers in America," Okonoko stated.
Alongside her entrepreneurial ventures, Okonoko maintains an active acting career, featuring in more than 40 films including Spellbound, Superstar, Doctor Bello, and American Japa. Meanwhile, Atlantic World Digital Communications announced that a major international project titled Reincarnation – Dance of the Masquerade, featuring prominent Hollywood and Nollywood actors, is currently in development for a 2027 release.
The long-term viability of the strategy will hinge on Blaze Channel's ability to secure broad distribution rights, convert casual viewers into paying consumers, maintain effective marketing campaigns, and build lasting commercial alliances across international borders.