Rashad Ghani on Uyoyou Adia’s “Evi” and Canon’s Interest in Nigerian and African Cinema

In 2016, Canon established its presence on the continent with the formation of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA). To reinforce its ‘closer to customer’ strategy in West Africa, it launched operations in Nigeria. According to Roman Troedthandl, the then Managing Director of CCNA, launching operations in Nigeria is a testament to the company’s commitment to investing in African markets and providing the best possible services to our customers and partners in the region. 

Nigeria was recognised for its vibrant and creative population. “It is an important hub in the Industrial & Production Printing segment, and has a thriving film industry – all of which Canon can support through our value added services. Our goal is to extend our services to the largest number of customers possible by being closer to them.”

In 2024, Rashad Ghani became the company’s B2C Business Unit Director at Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA), tasked with, and driving the growth of Canon’s consumer brands across Africa. To drive that growth, the company has initiated workshops, sponsored film-focused initiatives, and partnered with Nigerian and African filmmakers by providing technical support. In 2025, it partnered with Nora Awolowo on Racket Queen, her short film project. Now, in 2026, the company partnered with the production team of Uyoyou Adia’s Evi, produced by Judith Audu. The film, which follows a musician navigating identity, survival, and second chances in the Afrobeats industry, was shot on the Canon C400 cinema camera, a deliberate creative choice by the production team to achieve the skin tone rendering and visual richness the story demands.

In this conversation with Culture Custodian, Ghani speaks about Canon’s interest in Nigeria and Africa, supporting big-budget films while also thinking of independent projects, and creating a talent pipeline for young Nigerian filmmakers. 

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. 

In a 2024 interview with Business Day, you stated that Canon “wants to empower 10,000 African youths to become self-reliant in three years.” What motivated that interest in the continent, and how has it been so far? 

Our motivation is deeply rooted in Canon’s corporate philosophy, Kyosei, which means living and working together for the common good. We don’t just see Africa as a market; we see it as a continent of 1.4 billion stories waiting to be told. Our interest stems from a clear reality: Africa has the world’s youngest population, yet many talented youth lack access to the professional tools and structured training needed to turn their passion into a sustainable livelihood. We wanted to bridge that gap.

As for how it’s going, I am incredibly proud of the momentum. When I spoke to Business Day in 2024, we had already reached over 7,000 youths through our Miraisha Programme. Since then, we have aggressively expanded. As of today in 2026, we are well on our way to hitting that 10,000-youth target by 2027.

What’s even more rewarding than the numbers are the outcomes. For instance, we have seen over 650 participants secure paid commissions. We also celebrated the 10th anniversary of Miraisha, transitioning it into a second decade where we are focusing on deeper community roots, like our recent work in Dandora, Kenya and our expansion into Rwanda, Uganda, Senegal, Ivory coast, and Nigeria.

You stepped into the B2C Director role in April 2024 with a clear mandate to drive growth. Looking at the landscape in early 2026, how has your vision for Canon’s role in Nollywood evolved from a hardware provider to a creative collaborator?

When I stepped into this role, the goal was growth, but it was also very clear to me that the method had to be partnership. The Nollywood landscape is interesting in the sense that it just doesn’t need more cameras, it needs a sustainable bridge between high-end technical capability and the unique, rapid-fire storytelling style that makes Nigerian cinema a global powerhouse.

My vision has evolved now and moved past the hardware-first conversation. We are now focused on being creative collaborators in the industry. Our products are always designed with our customers in mind, whether it’s in terms of price or user friendliness. For instance, our EOS series offers several excellent, user-friendly options for amateurs and beginners, ranging from budget-friendly mirrorless cameras to traditional DSLRs. However, we have gone a step further and embedded ourselves in the workflow. Through the Canon Academy and specialized Nollywood masterclasses, we have focused on helping cinematographers achieve that global cinematic look while maintaining the grit and soul of local stories.

We recognize that Nollywood’s growth depends on the youth. That is why we have integrated our Miraisha Programme directly into the industry’s fabric, ensuring that the 10,000-youth goal we set in 2024 includes a heavy concentration of Nigerian Grip and Lighting technicians and editors, not just directors.

Through our Creator Lens initiative in Nigeria, we are planning to build a platform that enables the country’s Culture Custodians to connect and collaborate. We are not just providing the lens; we are helping focus it on the stories that define modern Africa.

Uyoyou Adia’s Evi

The production team for Uyoyou Adia’s Evi chose the Canon C400 cinema camera to achieve  the skin tone rendering and visual richness the story demands. How does Canon specifically account for the diverse melanin ranges of West African actors? 

Achieving accurate skin tone rendering for West African actors is not a coincidence — it is the result of continuous feedback from the filmmaking community, which Canon has actively integrated into its R&D and color science evolution over the years. One of the most consistent requests we received, particularly from African cinematographers, was the need to capture deeper skin tones with greater accuracy, richness, and nuance —and it’s incredibly rewarding to now see that reflected in productions like Evi.

The EOS C400 is designed with this in mind. Its advanced sensor architecture and dynamic range allow filmmakers to handle high-contrast environments while preserving the depth, texture, and subtle undertones of a wide range of melanin tones. This ensures that skin tones appear natural, detailed, and true-to-life — even in challenging lighting conditions.

What makes this particularly meaningful in the case of Evi is that the decision to use the C400 came directly from the production team. I would like to acknowledge Director Uyoyou Adia, Producer Judith Audu, and Cinematographer Barnabas Emordi for their trust in Canon. Their first-hand experience reinforces that this is not just a technical feature, but a real creative advantage.

The strong reception following the premiere on 22 March and the nationwide release on 27 March further validates this — audiences and industry professionals have responded very positively to the film’s visual quality.

Ultimately, our goal is simple: to ensure that technology supports storytelling in the most authentic way possible, allowing filmmakers to focus on their creative vision while we take care of the precision behind it.

Evi showcases what is possible with the cinema camera. How does the usage of the C400 on Evi inform the curriculum of your local workshops, and what is your long-term vision for ensuring this ‘richness’ is accessible to the next generation of indie filmmakers in Lagos?

Evi is more than a production milestone for us — it serves as a practical case study that we are actively integrating into our Canon Academy and Miraisha programmes. Our intent is to ensure that the learnings from a high-end production environment are translated into real, usable knowledge for the wider filmmaking community.

In Lagos, this is already shaping how our workshops are evolving. We are moving beyond basic camera operation to more advanced, application-led training — particularly around color grading for African skin tones, low-light performance, and on-set efficiency — using real scenarios and setups inspired by Evi. At the same time, we emphasize the importance of the full Canon ecosystem, where cameras, lenses, and streamlined workflows come together to simplify production and allow creators to focus more on storytelling. Importantly, this approach builds on our long-term commitment to Nollywood. From earlier collaborations like Kunle Afoayan’s Mokalik and Citation to supporting filmmakers such as Nora Awolowo. Evi represents a continuation of how we work closely with the industry — not just on individual projects, but on capability building.

Looking ahead, our vision is to make this level of visual richness accessible to a much broader base of filmmakers. While not everyone will start with a C400, the same color science and imaging philosophy extend across our wider range of cameras, including models like the EOS R5 C and EOS R6 Mark II. Through training, access, and ecosystem support, we want filmmakers to achieve a consistent, high-quality look regardless of their starting point.

Ultimately, our goal is for the next generation of filmmakers in Nigeria to see global cinematic quality not as an aspiration, but as a standard they can confidently deliver.

BTS of Evi

The brand has partnered with successful mainstream Nigerian filmmakers. Are there plans to extend that partnership towards independent filmmakers with limited budgets?

Absolutely. While our partnerships with high-budget productions like Evi grab the headlines, the heartbeat of Canon’s mission in Africa is the independent filmmaker. We do not want to just be the brand of the established, we want to be the brand that helps the newbies entering the industry, sometimes fuelled by passion and little else, become industry titans. 

Our vision is simple: budget should never be a barrier to beauty. We want to ensure that the richness we saw in Evi becomes a standard available to every filmmaker in Nigeria with a story to tell, regardless of the size of their production office. 

For over a decade, the Miraisha Programme has been a cornerstone of Canon’s work in Africa, with a goal to reach 10,000 youths by 2027. The brand has also hosted workshops and supported Nigerian filmmakers like Nora Awolowo (Racket Queen). Is there a deliberate talent pipeline Canon is building where workshop participants eventually find themselves working on major Nollywood sets?

That is exactly the vision. We are not just hosting workshops for training; we are intentional about making an impact and contributing to Nollywood’s growth.  For us, success isn’t just a certificate at the end of a Miraisha session- it is a credit on a major Nollywood production. 

We are very strategic in how we do this. First, we identify raw talent in local communities and provide the tools and the technical know-how of filmmaking. In doing so, we take passionate youths and turn them into technically proficient operators.

We then connect them with mentors in the industry. A great example is Nora Awolowo, who has a unique, high-energy storytelling style. By supporting projects like Racket Queen, we create an environment where our Miraisha graduates can shadow professional sets and learn how to function under the pressure of a real production.

The long-term goal is to make our Miraisha alumni the first choice for Nollywood producers. Because these youths are trained on the same Cinema EOS systems used by the industry’s elite, they enter the market with a specialized technical edge.  Their skills extend beyond just knowing how to use cameras, they know how to deliver a global cinematic look on a Nollywood budget.

BTS of Evi

Evi is a musical drama centered on the Afrobeats industry. In your view, how does professional-grade color science (like Canon’s skin tone rendering) contribute to the exportability of Nigerian culture to global audiences who are now used to 4K/HDR streaming standards?

Global audiences typically consume visual excellence. When they click on a Nigerian musical drama like Evi, they are comparing it, whether subconsciously or otherwise, to the high-end 4K/HDR standards of global streaming platforms. Canon further amplifies such productions through PR, social media, and EMEA-wide platforms, giving filmmakers broader international visibility. 

To compete on global streaming platforms, a film must meet high visual standards. Canon’s skin-tone rendering preserves the authentic depth and vibrance of African aesthetics, ensuring local productions achieve a premium, expensive look that resonates with international audiences on any screen. Professional color science ensures that the Afrobeats story is told with the same visual authority as any Hollywood blockbuster. We are providing the technical infrastructure so that the world can see Nigeria in all its high-definition glory.

Canon recently partnered with groups like Women In Successful Careers (WISCAR) and various art academies in Nigeria. How do these diverse partnerships, which focus on gender equity and youth, influence the way Canon develops its B2C strategies in West Africa?

Our B2C strategy in West Africa is built in the community. Partnering with organizations like WISCAR and local art academies allows us to move beyond being a camera company to becoming a career catalyst.

By engaging with women in professional careers and young creatives, we are continuously learning that access is not just about price; it is about tailored solutions. This has led us to prioritize versatile, hybrid gear in our West African portfolio, focusing on tools that allow a female entrepreneur or a young artist to switch seamlessly between high-end photography, vlogging, and professional cinematography.

Our work with WISCAR has reinforced the importance of gender equity in the visual arts. This influences our marketing and B2C outreach to ensure we are highlighting female DPs, directors, and photographers. We want every young girl in Nigeria to see herself behind the lens of a Canon, knowing that the industry has a place for her. Ultimately, these partnerships ensure our B2C strategy is grounded in social impact. We are investing in the demographic groups that will define the future of the African creative economy.