Mama G, Zubby Michael, Destiny Etiko, 7 others become Bebuzee brand ambassadors

By Benjamin Njoku

Veteran actress Patience Ozokwo, aka Mama G, Ebele Okaro, Zubby Michael and Destiny Etiko were among the top Nollywood stars unveiled as brand ambassadors for Bebuzee, a global AI-powered super app.

Bebuzee, a United States-based technology company, launched its all-in-one super app in Lagos, last weekend amid celebration.

Other Nollywood stars who made the list include Paul Obazele, Segun Arinze, Sani Danja, Jide Kosoko and the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Alhaji Abubakar Yakubu.

The unveiling of the movie stars is in line with strategic partnership agreements with leading Nollywood figures, guilds and industry organisations.

Speaking at the launch, Joseph Onyero, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Bebuzee Inc., said the partnerships represent a major technology opportunity designed to connect Nollywood’s vast creative ecosystem with Bebuzee’s expanding technology platform and its multiple digital revenue engines.

According to him, the app is one digital ecosystem built for the entire world.

“Bebuzee is the first super app in America, Europe, and of course, Africa, created to solve a lot of problems. It is a next-generation AI-powered app bringing together social, entertainment, streaming, creator economy, commerce, mobility and digital services in one connected ecosystem. With Bebuzee, you can do over 15 things in one app. You don’t need to jump from one app to another to make a call, to watch video, to shop, to search for real estate, and to do freelance work and all that. We think that is not very ideal. This is one of the reasons that drove us in developing one ecosystem where you can do a lot of things,” Onyero said.

He added that Bebuzee is in Africa to dominate the space.

“We are entering the Nollywood ecosystem not simply as another streaming platform, but with a broader vision to build digital infrastructure connecting producers, content owners, creators and audiences through streaming and digital distribution, advertising and creator revenue sharing and global audience engagement,” he said.

He noted that with Nigeria’s creative economy valued at approximately $6.4 billion, over a million industry members represented, and Nollywood producing more than 2,500 films annually, making it one of the world’s largest film industries by volume, there is a need for greater distribution channels to help Nigerian films reach broader audiences.

“Under the strategic partnerships, Bebuzee intends to develop opportunities for eligible Nollywood professionals to access verified digital profiles, global content distribution, creator monetisation, advertising revenue sharing, AI-powered tools, e-commerce and professional services,” Onyero said.

Bebuzee also plans to build towards its 100,000 Nollywood Creators Programme, creating a structured digital ecosystem for producers, actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors and other entertainment professionals.

Delivering his keynote address at the launch titled “The future of Nollywood in the global digital economy: Technology, Innovation and the Next Generation of African Storytelling,” Dr. Shaibu Husseini, the Director General, Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, stressed the need to build an ecosystem in which value flows back to creators. He stated that the major challenge of Nollywood is not production, but that of distribution and monetisation.

“Nollywood has produced enormous volumes of content but the question has always been how to get the product to the right prospects and how to ensure that the filmmaker actually benefits from its commercial success.

“For me, the digital economy provides an opportunity to address that challenge. Platforms like Bebuzee can create new revenue streams, help filmmakers build direct relationships with audiences and enable our content not only to travel beyond national boundaries but generate value for our content in international markets. But we must build an ecosystem in which value flows back to creators.”

“You must agree with me this is ambitious even though moments like this require ambitious projects, largely because we are living through an era in Nollywood, where technology is fundamentally changing not only how we communicate, but also how we create, distribute, consume and monetise culture,” Husseini stated.

He added: “We have entered into a more complex ecosystem in which the distinction between a television screen, a cinema screen, a mobile phone and a digital platform is becoming increasingly blurred. This extraordinary promise of communication technology has made it possible for our narratives to be everywhere. Today our narratives can potentially reach an audience in London, Johannesburg, Toronto, New York, Accra or Nairobi without the filmmaker physically travelling to those places. Our filmmakers now build audiences beyond the traditional distribution chain.”

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