Stakeholders in the Nigerian broadcasting industry have raised an alert, saying that the country’s local broadcast media is fading away. They argued that it is crucial to look at business models for a variety of platforms in order to quickly revitalize the sector. These remarks were made at the recent Nigerian Electronic Media Content Exhibition & Awards (NEMCEA) in Lagos. Mrs. Jibe Ologeh, NEMCEA President and Managing Director at RWells Media & Advertising, stated in her opening remarks that the motive of the event was to bring together local and international players in the industry for the purposes of buying, selling, collaborating, and aggregating.
Furthermore, the event also serves as an avenue for stakeholders to engage in a discourse centered around the exchange of intellectual concepts and insights pertaining to the Nigerian media sector, as well as the broader African landscape. Ologeh has announced that NEMCEA is poised to inaugurate its creative academy initiative, a strategic endeavour aimed at safeguarding the prospects of emerging and burgeoning content creators. This adventurous pursuit seeks to empower these individuals by affording them the means to establish their own enterprises, thereby fortifying the sustainability of the independent media production industry.
Content industry appears to be experiencing a decline in activity.
Executive Governor of Ebonyi State Nwifuru Ogbonna, speaking through the state’s Commissioner for ICT Uzoh Okorie, said it is imperative to enforce Nigeria copyright law in its entirety during his keynote address. Okorie elucidated that content creators have made substantial contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Products, thereby providing opportunities for gainful employment among the pool of talented young individuals. He emphasized the importance of diversifying the Nigerian economy through the increment of domestic content beyond the realm of oil and gas, in order to fortify the nation’s currency.
While embracing technology advancement, Okorie said Nigeria needs to be cautious of upholding the fundamental principles of ethics and integrity within the media sector. Speaking at the event, a member of the Board of Trustees of the NEMCEA, Emeka Ossai opined that the content industry, particularly terrestrial television, appears to be experiencing a decline in activity, which he said may be attributed to the growing preference of Nigerians for online content. Thus, he questioned why Nigeria was an exception while local television was still quite popular across the world.
Traditional TV must be revitalized to preserve distinctive essence.
By admitting that the Internet is where most activities will take place, the government is effectively handing up control of the sector to the global populace. This is due to the fact that Nigerians do not control the internet, thus whatever information is made available online is subject to the whim of those who do. Ossai argued that traditional television must be revitalized if Nigeria is to preserve its distinctive essence in storytelling and the contents it produces. Only then would the country’s regulators be able to focus attention on the content they create.
The Project Director of NEMCEA 2023 and CEO of Eagles House Global Resources, Mr. Alayande Stephen, asserts that Artificial Intelligence has firmly established its presence in the world around us. The pressing inquiry that arises is how we can effectively harness this groundbreaking technology advancement for our businesses and fully capitalize on the global transformation. He further expounded that the significance of audience measurement would manifest as one of the paramount components in ascertaining real-time occurrences through the proof provided by data-driven method.
Nigeria is ahead of the rest of Africa in terms of it structures.
Salihu Dembos, the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) stated that the growth of content pertaining to the Nigerian society is crucial, stressing that the NTA will do all in its position to support the production of such content. Mr. Femi Adelusi, President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria, made the observation that Nigeria is ahead of the rest of Africa in terms of how it structures itself, and that the content creators are now highly organised. He also underscored the importance of increasing support for African content and local content as a means of attracting more investments.
Related Link
NEMCEA: Website
