Canon Central & North Africa (CCNA) (Canon-CNA.com) is celebrating the addition of three outstanding creative talents with strong connections to Africa – Hamoudi Laggoune, Hans Ngoteya and Nora Awolowo – to the Canon EMEA Ambassador Programme, further strengthening the continent’s representation within Canon’s international community of leading photographers, filmmakers and visual storytellers.
Their appointment forms part of Canon’s announcement of 25 new Ambassadors joining the EMEA programme in 2026, bringing together creative voices from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Established in 2008, the Canon EMEA Ambassador Programme has grown into one of the imaging industry’s most influential initiatives. It connects accomplished photographers and filmmakers with Canon and the wider creative community, providing a platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas, mentor emerging talent and contribute to the evolution of visual storytelling.
The three new additions reflect the breadth of creative talent emerging from and connected to Africa, spanning cinematography, filmmaking, wildlife and conservation storytelling.
Hamoudi Laggoune is a Franco-Algerian cinematographer and visual storyteller with more than two decades of experience in film and image-making. Based between Europe and North Africa, his work explores evolving approaches to cinematography, including Cinema EOS, virtual production, underwater filmmaking and large-format imaging.
Hans Ngoteya, from Tanzania, is a wildlife filmmaker and conservation storyteller committed to using visual storytelling to create greater awareness of the natural world. As co-founder of Ngoteya Wild, he has directed award-winning documentaries highlighting nature and conservation and was recognised with the Jackson Wild Rising Star Award in 2023.
Nora Awolowo is an award-winning Nigerian cinematographer, filmmaker, photographer and visual storyteller whose work spans documentary, feature film and visual storytelling. Her portfolio includes directing the FIFA original documentary Nigeria: The Debut and serving as cinematographer and producer on the feature film Red Circle. Most recently, Nora produced Black Market through Rixel Studios, which made history in September 2026 by setting a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening, drawing more than 51,000 qualifying viewers to its premiere at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos. The milestone adds to a growing body of work that has earned her recognition both within Nigeria and internationally.
The three creatives join an established community that already includes accomplished African Canon Ambassadors such as Aïda Muluneh and Seibou Traoré, reinforcing a growing network of creative professionals bringing distinctive African perspectives, experiences and storytelling traditions to the wider EMEA programme.
Rashad Ghani, B2C Business Unit Director, Canon Central & North Africa, said:
“Welcoming Hamoudi, Hans and Nora to the Canon EMEA Ambassador Programme is a moment of real pride for us. Each brings a very different creative perspective from cinematography across North Africa, to wildlife and conservation storytelling in East Africa, and a new generation of filmmaking talent emerging from Nigeria. Together with established Ambassadors such as Aïda Muluneh and Seibou Traoré, they demonstrate the depth and diversity of visual storytelling connected to our region.
“This programme is much more than recognition of individual achievement. It creates opportunities for knowledge to be shared, for emerging creators to learn from established professionals and for African perspectives to become an increasingly visible part of the wider EMEA creative conversation. We congratulate Hamoudi, Hans and Nora on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to seeing the experiences, ideas and inspiration they bring to the Ambassador community.”
Canon Ambassadors are selected through a rigorous multi-stage process. Candidates are nominated by Canon offices across EMEA before being assessed by an independent panel of 16 experts from the photography and filmmaking industry. The panel considers the strength and impact of each candidate’s work, creative voice, values, innovation and contribution to the wider imaging community before making its final recommendations.
Through the programme, Ambassadors collaborate with Canon across educational initiatives, workshops, events and knowledge-sharing opportunities, helping inspire and support photographers and filmmakers at different stages of their creative journeys.
The addition of Laggoune, Ngoteya and Awolowo brings further geographic and creative diversity to this established EMEA platform while providing audiences across Central and North Africa with more locally and regionally relevant creative voices to learn from and engage with.
For more information and the full list of Canon EMEA Ambassadors, visit the Canon EMEA Ambassador Programme Hub.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA).
Media enquiries, please contact:
Canon Central and North Africa
Jayashir Namdar
e. Jayashri.namdar@canon-me.com
APO Group – PR Agency
Rania ElRafie
e. Rania.ElRafie@apo-opa.com
About Canon Central and North Africa:
Canon Central and North Africa (CCNA) (Canon-CNA.com) is a division within Canon Middle East FZ LLC (CME), a subsidiary of Canon Europe. The formation of CCNA in 2016 was a strategic step that aimed to enhance Canon’s business within the Africa region – by strengthening Canon’s in-country presence and focus. CCNA also demonstrates Canon’s commitment to operating closer to its customers and meeting their demands in the rapidly evolving African market.
Canon has been represented in the African continent for more than 15 years through distributors and partners that have successfully built a solid customer base in the region. CCNA ensures the provision of high quality, technologically advanced products that meet the requirements of Africa’s rapidly evolving marketplace. With over 100 employees, CCNA manages sales and marketing activities across 44 countries in Africa.
Canon’s corporate philosophy is Kyosei (https://apo-opa.co/4i5VxJ7) – ‘living and working together for the common good’. CCNA pursues sustainable business growth, focusing on reducing its own environmental impact and supporting customers to reduce theirs using Canon’s products, solutions and services. At Canon, we are pioneers, constantly redefining the world of imaging for the greater good. Through our technology and our spirit of innovation, we push the bounds of what is possible – helping us to see our world in ways we never have before. We help bring creativity to life, one image at a time. Because when we can see our world, we can transform it for the better.
For more information: Canon-CNA.com
Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating.