Veteran Nigerian actress Patience Ozokwor, one of Nollywood’s most recognisable figures, has attributed the financial struggles of African actors to the absence of a royalty system, saying the industry leaves performers with nothing beyond their initial on-set pay.
Ozokwor, widely known as “Mama G” for her iconic roles in Nollywood classics including Old School and Chief Daddy, said the contrast between African and Western entertainment industries comes down to how actors are compensated long after a production ends.
“Why you see us beg is that they don’t give us royalties. We just work and toil so hard, and then that peanut you gave us to come on board and shoot for you that’s what we get. Go and look at the smallest actor in developed countries. Every work they do fetches them money every day of their lives, even when they are gone their families still live on that. We are still working hard,” she said.
The actress, who has appeared in over 300 films across a career spanning more than three decades, said the old model of Nollywood financing where independent marketers funded productions and controlled distribution compounded the problem for performers. She noted, however, that the shift to digital platforms has changed the landscape.
“People who sponsored movies were struggling people, marketers, and things like that. That one is past because all of us are now on YouTube and the other platforms,” she added.
Ozokwor’s remarks highlight a long-standing structural gap in African film industries, where actors are typically paid a flat fee to appear on set with no ongoing entitlement to revenue generated from distribution, streaming, or resales of their work. The issue has grown more prominent as African content reaches global audiences through platforms such as Netflix and YouTube, generating revenue streams that largely bypass the original cast.
Ozokwor has previously acknowledged the improvements digital platforms have brought to the industry, noting that younger filmmakers are now making money on YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok, describing the future as brighter for those entering the industry today compared to her generation.
