Influenced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), particularly SDG four,- Quality education, five – Gender equality and nine – Innovation and Infrastructure, the partnership will give a series of scholarships, tuition bursaries, Internship opportunities and Short Film Project Funding, to recipient students.

A statement on the partnership, issued by the Anita Erskine Media, said the beneficiaries would be students between the ages of 17 and 23, from across the continent, who had demonstrated brilliance and an eagerness to pursue Film Directing and Television Production but who were clearly at a socio - economic disadvantage.

The situations include poverty, disability or displacement (as in the case of Refugees) to name a few.  “These funds will be released by Anita Erskine Media each year and will enable the beneficiaries to access education at NAFTI, at no or subsidised cost to them,” it said.

The Internship opportunities for the students will be provided and brokered by Anita Erskine Media and its partner TV networks and Film Studios around the world,” the statement said. The potential recipients will come via recommendation from schools and communities and will be screened by the Anita Erskine Media Board in tandem with NAFTI’s senior management. The first batch of recipients will be announced in June 2018.

Ms. Anita Erskine noted that while there was the need for true authentic, original stories to be told, and an army of women rising, many of them lacked the funds to facilitate their dream and ambitions thus the partnership.

“NAFTI is a trusted Ghanaian institution and has indeed produced some of the most powerful film directors and television producers, whose works are meeting global critical acclaim every day.”  “The partnership approach is three - pronged. There is an urgent need for our true, authentic, original indigenous stories to be told.

Meanwhile, there is also an entirely new army of Women rising. They want guidance, need support and crave every help they can get. “On another hand, the SDG’s are a clear challenge to each of us to empower and change our communities for the better. I am deeply passionate about Education for Women so I am confident that this collaboration with NAFTI will make an immense contribution to very fabric of our nation on so many levels.”

Dr. Samuel A. Nai, Rector of NAFTI, said the Institute recognised the importance of training not just media artisans, but scholarly professionals who could critically reflect on the African society and provide images and creative representations, that enhanced the African identity.

“NAFTI believes in impressing on its students that film and television are expressions towards the development of the intellectual, philosophical and cultural ideals of our people,” he said.

"So while professional training constitutes the Institute’s core work, its curricula continues to be a unique blend of scholarship inculcation and professional development.”