Kunle Afolayan seeks government support after investing over N8bn in his film village, citing electricity challenges and rising diesel costs
Nigerian filmmaker and entrepreneur Kunle Afolayan has appealed for government support for his film village after investing more than N8bn of his personal funds in the project, saying persistent electricity challenges and rising diesel costs are putting pressure on its operations.
Afolayan made the appeal during an interview with former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun on the Nidacity podcast, released on YouTube on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The filmmaker said KAP Film Village had operated without electricity since its establishment, leaving the resort heavily dependent on diesel generators.
According to Afolayan, the cost of diesel has become increasingly difficult to sustain, raising the possibility of shutting down parts of the resort.
“I believe so much in this country. We haven’t had electricity in KAP Village since the beginning. So we’ve been running on diesel,” Afolayan said.
He explained that an attempt to keep operations running through diesel supplied on credit had provided only temporary relief because the underlying cost remained too high.
Afolayan said the resort was now exploring renewable energy options as a more sustainable alternative.
He disclosed that about N200m had already been invested in green energy, although the system was not sufficient to power the entire facility.
“So right now we’re talking to a lot of people to try and see how to do green energy. We did one last year, which cost about N200m, but it’s not enough to power the entire resort,” he said.
The filmmaker said the scale of his investment justified government intervention through relevant agencies.
“And if we’ve managed to do that, I think there should be some sort of support, like from government agencies,” he said.
Afolayan argued that some businesses that had received government grants had invested considerably less than what had gone into his film village.
“I know people are not even doing one quarter of what we’re doing, and they get a lot of grants from government,” he added.
The Kunle Afolayan film village was also conceived partly as a response to the practical challenges the filmmaker encountered while producing his projects.
Afolayan recalled that filming his Netflix series Anikulapo exposed the shortage of suitable accommodation for cast and crew working on location.
He said members of the production team, including veteran actress Sola Sobowale and actress Bimbo Ademoye, had to bring personal belongings from their homes because adequate accommodation was unavailable.
“When we shot Anikulapo, we didn’t have accommodation. We were squatting in people’s houses. Sola Sobowale and Bimbo Ademoye even brought their mattresses and freezers from home,” he said.
The experience prompted Afolayan to construct 100 rooms at the film village to accommodate cast and crew during productions.
Beyond filmmaking, the resort represents Afolayan’s broader investment in building infrastructure around Nigeria’s creative economy.
However, his comments highlight the wider challenge facing businesses that depend on reliable power to operate efficiently.
For Afolayan, the immediate concern is finding a sustainable energy solution that can keep the facility running without the crippling cost of diesel.
His appeal for support also underscores the growing demand for stronger public-private collaboration as Nigeria seeks to expand its creative industry and develop facilities capable of supporting large-scale film production.
