Funke Akindele, Mo Abudu, Toyin Abraham…Meet some top Nollywood female producers

In this piece, News360 Nigeria highlights the top 10 female producers in the Nigerian film industry in recent times.

Nigeria’s entertainment sector is a vibrant hub for creative energy, particularly in the music and film industries.

As of 2021, Nollywood stands as the second-largest film producer globally, with a substantial net worth of $6.4 billion.

Its cinematic abilities are akin to those of the music industry, which is becoming increasingly well-known worldwide.

Various production companies in Nigeria release over 2,000 productions on different platforms annually.

Nollywood has established strategic alliances with prominent international streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Showmax, which have enabled it to disseminate its extensive cultural legacy and fundamental principles to a worldwide viewership.

Regardless of gender, age, race, or social status, some of Nigeria’s most talented producers and directors have crafted compelling stories that allow for this global outreach and forge a solid niche for themselves in the international arena.

Enumerated below are the top 10  female film producers in Nigeria so far.

1. Funke Akindele

Filmmaker Funke Akindele, popularly known as Jenifa, is a well-known Nigerian actress, producer, director, and politician.

Akindele rose to fame with her role in the sitcom “I Need to Know.” She was born on August 24, 1977.

Her incredible performance in “Jenifa” earned her the 2009 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

The 2015 TV show Jenifa’s Diary, which was based on the well-known Jenifa character, was produced by Akindele.

Her performance in the series earned her a return engagement in 2020 and 2022, as well as two Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy in 2016 and 2017.

Being the highest grossing movie of 2023 in theaters, A Tribe Called Judah (N1.4 billion) established the director’s record as the first female Nigerian director to break the one billion naira barrier at the country’s box office.

Funke Akindele has consistently produced top-grossing movies in Nigeria for the past three years.

Omo Ghetto the Saga earned N636 million in 2020, while Battle on Buka Street earned N668 million in 2022.

2. Mo Abudu

Mo Abudu is a well-known person in Nollywood and one of the most powerful women in international media, according to Forbes.

She has steered Ebony Life TV since its inception in 2006 and grown to be a well-known figure in the entertainment industry.

Ebony Life TV, which is currently aired in over 49 countries across Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean, is run by Abudu.

The network has grown into a major force in the media industry, cultivating international alliances that increase its sway.

Major partnerships have been forged between Ebony Life TV and notable industry heavyweights like AMC Networks, Sony Pictures Television, and Netflix.

Being the first African media company to enter into a multi-title film and TV agreement with the streaming behemoth, the ground-breaking deal with Netflix represented a historic milestone.

3. Emem Isong

Nollywood legend Emem Isong has been a powerful voice for women’s rights in the industry for almost 25 years.

Her movie “Bursting Out” left a lasting impression when it played to a packed house at London’s Odion Cinemas in November 2010.

Emem has also collaborated on documentaries with illustrious institutions like Action Health Incorporated (AHI) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF).

The goal of these initiatives is to give marginalized teenage girls who are not in school and live in slum areas around Lagos more power.

During the 2018 Dallas African Film Festival (TAFF), Emem received the esteemed African Film Leadership Award.

Her numerous honors include the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMMA), which are frequently referred to as Africa’s equivalent of the Oscars, the Thema Award, ZAFAA Award, Best of Nollywood Award, City Peoples Award, and Giama Award.

Through her films, which have screened at significant film festivals and are currently being studied in academic programs at colleges in America, Europe, and Africa, Emem has transcended international boundaries.

4. Mary Njoku

Mary Njoku has spent nearly two decades acting and directing, and she has made a name for herself in the African film industry.

With over 100 film and television appearances to her credit since her on-screen debut in 2004, Njoku is considered to be a part of “Nollywood,” the Nigerian film industry, which is regarded as the second largest in the world in terms of production output.

Njoku has seamlessly moved from performing to behind-the-scenes work over the last ten years, contributing significantly to the creation and distribution of African content that has been modified for streaming services.

She established ROK, a digital media company that runs four TV stations, in 2013, a daring move.

In addition, she established ROK Studios, a content creation business that supports her husband Jason Njoku’s IrokoTV, a video-on-demand platform available in Nigeria.

5 .Kemi Adetiba

Nigerian filmmaker, television director, and director of music videos Kemi Adetiba has worked on Netflix, BET, MTV Base, Channel O, and Soundcity TV.

She hosted two nationally popular shows, Soul’d Out and Sunday at the Seaside, during her early radio hosting career on Silver’s Rhythm 93.7 FM.

Kemi Adetiba made her way from radio to television gradually by doing TV appearances, and then she produced music and movies.

In 2016, she directed “The Wedding Party,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that same year.

They achieved enormous success and broke box office records by grossing more than N3.5 billion.

Kemi Adetiba is also the creator of the web documentary series King Women, which mentors women and young girls.

Kemi Adetiba produced, wrote, and directed the popular political thriller “King of Boys,” in which Sola Sobowale played the lead role.

Adetiba, dubbed the “Bruce Lee of visuals,” will debut on Netflix in 2024 with her most recent TV series, the crime thriller “To Kill A Monkey.”

6. Biodun Stephen

Biodun Stephen is a Nigerian film director, writer, and producer who specializes in romantic drama and comedy movies.

Tiwa’s Baggage, Ovy’s Voice, Ehi’s Bitters, and Sobi’s Mystic are notable examples of her film titles being inspired by the names of the main characters in the film.

Biodun Stephen launched her filmmaking career in 2014 with the release of ‘The Visit’, which was praised for its minimal but insightful cast, story, and originality.

It was nominated twice at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in Lagos.

She co-produced Breaded Life and helmed Sista.

7. Omoni Oboli

Omoni Oboli is a popular figure in Nigerian cinema. Over the past 20 years, she has adeptly navigated the fast-paced scene, even though she was forced to temporarily leave the company to attend to family matters.

Oboli is a graduate of the esteemed New York Film Academy and possesses a wealth of acting and digital filmmaking experience.

Her numerous screenplays, some of which are well-known, like “Fatal Imagination,” “Being Mrs. Elliott,” “The First Lady,” and “Wives on Strike,” demonstrate her creative energy.

In the comedy “Moms at War,” which she also directed, she starred alongside Funke Akindele in 2018. Since then, she has produced a large number of movies for both streaming services and traditional theaters.

Notably, Oboli has made use of the internet, especially on YouTube where she runs the Omoni Oboli TV channel.

Her films, which include “A Night in July” and “Marriage of Inconvenience,” have received an incredible five million views.

8. Toyin Abraham

Toyin Abraham is a Nollywood veteran who has had a successful career spanning two decades.

She began her career in 2003 and has since expanded into directing, producing, and acting on screen.

Her filmography features well-known works like “Ijakumo – The Born Again Stripper” and the well-liked “Malaika,” which reached a total box office revenue of N300 million in December 2023, making it one of the highest-grossing movies to date.

“Fate of Alakada,” which made N113.2 million at the box office in 2020, is another noteworthy film.

Following its success, “Alakada Reloaded” earned N70 million.

She also produced the films “The Ghost and the Tout” (2018) and “Seven and a Half Dates” (2018).

9. Jade Osiberu

Renowned Nollywood personality Jadesola Osiberu transitioned from a career in software development to film writing, directing, and producing.

She became well-known as the founder of Greoh Studios after producing hits such as Isoken (2017), Sugar Rush (2019), Brotherhood (2022), and the crime thriller Gangs of Lagos, which is the first Nigerian original film to be exclusively available on Amazon Prime Video.

In September 2022, Osiberu’s Greoh Studios signed a three-year deal with Amazon, indicating a commitment to developing and producing original scripted TV series and feature films for a global audience.

With this collaboration, her production company is positioned as a major player in shaping the story on a larger scale.

Inspired by the goal of “telling African stories to a global audience,” Osiberu established Tribe85 Productions in 2017 to begin her filmmaking career.

10. Tope Oshin

Tope Oshin is a well-known producer who rose to prominence for her work on notable films like Up North, starring Nigerian singer Bankole Wellington.

Oshin was named one of OkayAfrica’s Okay100 Women in 2017. With more than 7,000 hours of film and television experience, she is an accomplished director.

Some of Africa’s most watched drama series, such as 750 episodes of MTV Shuga, Tinsel, Hotel Majestic, Hush, and Castle & Castle, have featured her directing skills.

She has directed films that have won awards, including the ground-breaking UpNorth, which debuted in theaters in December 2018, as well as New Money, Journey To Self, InLine, Ireti, and The Young Smoker.

Tope Oshin serves as the showrunner, producer, and lead director of MTV Shuga Naija 4 (Season 8).