Ghana’s film producers’ body plans to tighten the noose on foreign producers operating in the country by requiring that they get additional permits before they are allowed to conduct any business in the country’s growing movies industry, reported GhanaWeb.

The Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG) have taken the fight against rogue foreign producers a notch higher by requiring that non-Ghanaians making films in the country get a work permit, a permit from the Ghana Actors Guild and a permit from FIPAG.

The film industry in Africa has seen impressive growth in the last decade, with Ghana’s neighbor Nigeria’s Nollywood taking the lead, but the quality of the thousands of film churned out has been low based on international standards.

Aware of the industry’s potential contribution to economic growth, most African governments have offered tax holidays and other incentives to attract foreign investors in the industry and  grow local content and talent.

According to the Public Relations Officer for  Ghana’s FIPAG, Michael Ola, the directive is meant to protect local movie producers and the industry as a whole and not scare off foreigners.

“People have in the past sneaked in and out of the country to shoot movies and documentaries among others without any work permit or permission from FIPAG. Well guess what, things have changed now. FIPAG, together with the Ghana Immigration Service will make sure that the right thing is done,” Ola said.