Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) has launched a ‘Canon Imaging Space’ at the Entrepreneurship & Skills Development Centre on the campus of the University of Lagos Nigeria to recognize, educate and empower the emerging talent from the region. In its persistent endeavor to endow people with education, skills, tools, and opportunities needed for storytelling, Canon has created a dedicated and permanent platform for developing an interactive imaging space within the university campus at UNILAG.
The space is provisioned with state-of-art imaging equipment: three cameras and three printers that have been provided to ESDC UNILAG management to facilitate utilization of the space & equipment by the university students. As part of Canon’s ongoing contributions to societal development, the imaging space will focus on educating, engaging, and training students in the art of visual storytelling and photography. Furthermore, Canon will also be offering ‘Canon Academy Masterclasses’ – a series that will have a hybrid approach of intensive training for students by Canon Ambassadors and internationally acclaimed professionals in photography and videography at the University of Lagos. Students will receive a lucrative opportunity to acquire hands-on training using professional equipment along with various engaging photo and video competitions solely dedicated for the students.
Commenting on the launch of imaging space, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos said, “We are very happy to be partnering with Canon for this unique space to be built inside UNILAG that will provide students an opportunity to sharpen their skills before they step into the real professional world. It is always a matter of pride and prestige when industry leaders like Canon collaborate with our university thus ensuring we rightly nurture the talent not just through theory lessons but also via practical hands-on training. Collaborations of such kind are fundamental in developing skills for the students, we would like to see more companies take up similar initiatives like Canon where corporates don’t just approach us for recruitment but also to foster students with holistic skill-development training, through such collaboration & engaging initiative. As times are changing, it is imperative for universities to reinvent the wheel of education, we aspire to do at UNILAG by employing interesting techniques of teaching where students can learn the art of storytelling in a unique manner with suitable tools available at their disposal to conduct their projects in a much more creative, interesting and contemporary manner.”
Through its partnerships, associations, and educational initiatives globally, Canon aspires to create new routes for talent to support the future success of the creative industries. In the past, Canon has stayed true to its pledge of empowerment through its various programs set out to support people in every step of their journey, such as Canon’s ‘Miraisha program’ that enable young African storytellers to enhance their skillset by providing them with scholarship as well as mentorship support thereby fostering students with the utmost level of support to turn their dreams into their professions. On the other hand, Canon’s Ambassador Program shares Canon’s passion for storytelling. For more than a decade now, this pioneering initiative from Canon has brought together some of the world’s best photographers and videographers from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) to collaborate with Canon and share its passion for visual storytelling. Such initiatives from the house of Canon serve as a pathway and a platform for discovering the new generation of creative, imaginative, and proficient storytellers and thinkers.
“Empowering communities, people, and creating opportunities has been molded into each of our initiatives at Canon, this is how we can truly progress by creating a sustainable environment where the company, its consumers, and the communities are all thriving together. Our Canon Ambassadors program is a remarkable case in point, not only has it given a voice to photographers and videographers to express their creativity but also been instrumental in shaping life-long careers in the industry. Our ambassadors from Nigeria, Emmanuel Oyeleke and Yagazie Emezi have both transformed phenomenally with the support of this initiative. These are the hidden gems we want to nurture our initiatives and we are looking forward to finding many such gems from UNILAG, who will be the Canon Ambassadors of tomorrow. We are delighted to be able to do so in conjunction with the University of Lagos through our imaging space, masterclass series, and various initiatives that focus on empowering students and professionals,” says Somesh Adukia, Managing Director, Canon Central, and North Africa.
