Broadcasting
Lagos Community Becomes First in Africa to Implement AfDB’s Innovative Flood Solution
The Lagos State Government has become the first in Africa to implement the innovative SLAMDAM flood management solution at the Omojuwa Estate in Kosofe Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
SLAMDAM is an easily deployable water-filled flood barrier. This innovative project is implemented as part of the Adaptation Benefit Mechanism (ABM) Program by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) that aims to implement Innovative Solutions to Mitigate Flood Risks and Strengthen the Resilience to Climate Change-Induced Flooding at Community Level.
The project is designed to implement small-scale high-impact highly replicable climate change adaptation demonstration technique with a focus on the water sector in Nigeria.
The Brinker Consortium made up of Natural Eco Capital (Nigeria), Zephyr Consulting (Netherlands) and Slamdam BV (Netherlands) are the AfDB’s consultants implementing the project.
Speaking at the Omojuwa Estate formal flood-barrier equipment handover ceremony at the community, Engr. Tayo Fagbeku, Director Lagos State Drainage and Planning Services expressed delight at the development. “We decided to be the take on this project because we are not averse to innovative ideas that will be of benefit and contribute to the various solutions we have to manage floods in Lagos. The result of this pilot has been excellent and encouraging.”
Dr. Eugene Itua, MD Natural Eco Capital spoke. “This pilot started with Omojuwa Estate and Iponri communities in Lagos State. While Omojuwa is the first to the complete the process, Iponri will follow soon. The mobile flood barrier (SLAMDAM), and other associated equipments are being given free of charge by the AfDB. One interesting aspect of these whole solution is that water is being used to fight water.”
Omar Saleh, Project Lead Consultant & CEO Zephyr spoke about the project approach and objectives. Project location is selected through; field visits and hydrodynamic modeling software, followed by determining the deployment strategy and locations for the flood barrier and finally designing of the appropriate SLAMDAM-technology for the location. The project also developed and tested the ABM-methodology, which an innovative method to support rapid mobilization of funding to further scale-up climate adaptive measures such as SLAMDAM .
The objectives of the project are; to demonstrate the SLAMDAM-technology, being a mobile flood barrier, as an effective solution to adapt to climate change-induced floods; and to test the ABM-methodology in order to measure the certified benefits from SLAMDAM using a flood intelligence tool.
Charles Otabor, the community leader of Omojuwa Estate says, “We like the community approach of this project. Our Flood Response team as first responders has been trained. Moreover, hands-on demonstration of the technology has also taken place. We pledge to utilize these equipments appropriately for the benefit of our community, and the people of Lagos State.
A day earlier a stakeholder-workshop was held which had representatives from the state ministries of environment, transport, agriculture, Drainage, SDG office, Lagos Resilence office, and other relevant agenicies present.
At the federal level, ministry of environment, institutions and MDAs such as Unilag, NRC, NIMET, FIIRO, etc were present. Majority of which were also present at the Omojuwa handover ceremony.
Natural Eco Capital is a sustainability firm with a unique cutting edge to support organisations (Public and private) drive for more sustainable resilient business and economy.
Zephyr Consulting offers fully integrated climate adaptive solutions with a distinct focus on enhancing resilience against climate-induced flooding and drought.
SLAMDAM is the only manufacturer of a TUV-certified temporary dam in the world and was awarded the most effective solution against floods in 2018 in a Defense competition.
Mrs. Clementine Wamba, head, Digital Switch Over (DSO) at the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has stressed the need for broadcasting stations and practitioners nationwide to work towards meeting the 2028 global deadline for the switch over.
She made the call in her presentation titled, “DSO Big Picture: Free TV Audience Measurement and the Evolving Media Landscape”, at the 2026 NBC South West Summit held in Ibadan.
Wamba harped on the need for practitioners to adopt DSO in the transmission of news and other programmes in order to meet future challenges, stating that any country that fail to align with the DSO by 2028 will be shut out of practice.
This development, according to her, may result in job losses and other consequences that could hinder the growth of the industry in Nigeria, noting that Free TV is tailored towards the DSO, with provision for many channels in contrast to the age-long analogue system.
According to her, “The Digital Switch Over is a technological improvement on the age-long analogue style of broadcasting in the country. With the adoption of the DSO, practitioners will be in tune with global practice of broadcast journalism.
“Also, its benefits include efficient use of spectrum, changing of industry landscape, more access to national development programmes and better viewing experience.”
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker, has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations, calling on Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker
Mbunabo made the remarks during a conversation with James Gardiner, deputy CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana.
He questioned whether it was permissible for television stations in Ghana to download Nigerian movies from YouTube and air them without obtaining permission from the producers.
“I noticed that Ghanaian TV stations, the way they are stealing our films and showing them for free with impunity. Is it legalised in your country for TV stations to go on YouTube, download people’s sweat and show it for free?”
According to Mbunabo, some Ghanaian television stations have been downloading newly released Nollywood films from YouTube and broadcasting them without authorisation, depriving producers of revenue generated through the platform.
He also stated that he had not witnessed Nigerian television stations engaging in similar practices and questioned what measures Ghana was taking to protect filmmakers’ intellectual property.
Responding to the concerns, Gardiner acknowledged that the issue exists and said the National Film Authority had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to address it.
He disclosed that the NFA has held discussions with the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) on improving copyright enforcement.
Gardiner explained that while Ghana has copyright laws, enforcement remains challenging because many television stations now operate digitally and may not have physical offices within the country.
“There are copyright laws, but they are not effective because a lot of the TV stations don’t have offices. Most of them are now digital, so they operate from anywhere. They can even have a Ghanaian TV station but be operating from Austria simply because it is digital.”
He added that authorities are considering a new licensing framework that would require broadcasters to undergo a fresh licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement.
According to Gardiner, television stations found guilty of illegally broadcasting copyrighted content would be required to compensate affected producers through fines.
He added that repeat offenders could face suspension of their broadcasting licences, while a third violation could result in the revocation of their licences.
Although he did not provide a specific timeline, Gardiner said the reforms were already underway and expressed hope that significant progress would be seen next year.
Mbunabo welcomed the proposed measures but urged the National Film Authority to expedite the process, stating that unauthorised broadcasts continue to affect filmmakers’ ability to recover production costs through legitimate distribution channels such as YouTube.
He also stressed that his comments were not directed at Ghana’s film industry, noting that he has worked with several Ghanaian actors over the years and supports collaborations between Nollywood and Ghallywood.
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