Broadcasting
MultiChoice Nigeria Restates Commitment to Creative Industry Growth
MultiChoice Nigeria, leading pay television service provider, has reiterated its commitment to the growth of the country’s entertainment industry. The company’s position, made known in Lagos on Tuesday, was the highlight of the discussion between MultiChoice Nigeria and the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN) during a courtesy visit to the latter.
L-R: Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head, Corporate Affairs, MultiChoice Nigeria; Fidelis Duker, filmmaker; Atinuke Babatunde, Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory; Victor Okhai, President, Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN); Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria and Bond Emeruwa, former DGN president, during a courtesy visit by MultiChoice Nigeria team to the DGN in Lagos on Tuesday.
Discussions at the meeting revolved around opportunities for collaboration and mutually beneficial ideas with the potential to accelerate the growth of the major industry stakeholder entities such as Africa Magic, MultiChoice Talent Factory and the DGN.
The MultiChoice team, led by Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs, explained that the meeting was a sign of the company’s cordial relationship with the DGN and afforded it the opportunity to formally introduce the newly appointed MultiChoice Nigeria’s executives to an important stakeholder group.
The new executives include Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels; and Atinuke Babatunde, Academy Director, West Africa, MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), who both spoke on the importance of the relationship between both parties.
Tejumola explained that MultiChoice Nigeria is keen on strengthening existing industry collaborations and building new ones.
“I think it is important for us to be here today to consolidate what I know the guild and MultiChoice have been building over the last few years. We think it’s time for us to work better together with the industry. We have been a part of the industry and it’s time for us now to truly collaborate.
“I know that we have areas of synergy, and the goal is to further advance the creative industry. As a brand, we are doing all we can, but we can’t do it by ourselves. We need collaborations and partnerships with different organisations that are the backbone of Nollywood and the creative industry at large,” she said.
On her part, Atinuke noted that the MultiChoice Talent Factory initiative is crucial to the growth of the creative industry because it provides opportunities for professional capacity building.
“Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, we would be organizing more masterclasses. Upskilling is important for us in terms of the growth of the industry.
“The Academy currently supports the industry through three major ways which are the Academy, where 20 students are trained to become filmmakers; the masterclass, where we partner with industry experts; and the last part is where we integrate with the industry to ensure that there is a synergy,” she explained.
She added that the MTF portal is important to the envisaged synergy and called on industry professionals to register on it because it provides opportunity for collaboration and partnership through the over 11,000 people it has across Africa.
President of the DGN, Victor Okhai, who led members of the guild to receive the MultiChoice Nigeria team, commended the company for its effort at reviving its relationship with the guild.
“This is a new dawn. The partnership with MultiChoice has been symbolic. It has sold us to the world and amplified and magnified Nollywood even more.
“You have helped build capacity over the years and the benefits have been mutual for both parties,” Okhai said.
He also urged MultiChoice Nigeria to widen the room for inclusiveness, acquisition, and commissioning of content by all and not a select few.
The DGN President similarly called on the MultiChoice Nigeria team to become guild members.
Members of the guild present during the meeting included Zeb Ejiro, Member, DGN Board of Trustees; Matthias Obahiagbon, Fidelis Duker and Bond Emeruwa, former DGN presidents; filmmakers Uzodinma Okpechi and Perekeme Odon, DGN Public Relations Officer.
Mr. Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, took centre stage at the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) annual end-of-year meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2025, recounting the company’s remarkable growth and reaffirming free IT training for journalists.
Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, in a group photograph with NITRA Members
Speaking directly to IT media members at the company’s training facility in Lagos, Akano acknowledged the critical role journalists played in supporting New Horizons during its formative years two decades ago.
He detailed how the firm evolved from a handful of staff to one of Africa’s leading ICT skills training organisations, now employing about 500 staff across multiple training centres nationwide.
Akano Spotlights Youth Training, University Partnerships
Akano highlighted that New Horizons has trained over 500,000 youths, particularly tertiary institution students, equipping them with practical IT skills essential for Nigeria’s digital economy.
He announced recent partnerships with universities, including a new agreement with Afe Babalola University, to scale hands-on training programmes for students.
“This growth would not have been possible without the media’s support in documenting our journey,” Akano stated, pledging continued free IT skills training for media members to remain competitive in the evolving digital landscape.
Reciprocal Support Defines Long-Standing Partnership
The venue hosting the NITRA meeting underscored Akano’s generosity; NITRA Secretary Chidiebere Nwankwo secured the free facility after contacting him—a gesture consistent with New Horizons hosting multiple association events and training IT journalists since its inception 20 years ago.
Participants shared personal testimonies of Akano’s support, including veteran journalist Aaron Ukodie, whose daughter—an Accounting graduate from the University of Johannesburg—received NYSC placement and IT scholarship at New Horizons.
The Guardian’s Yemi Adeyemi recounted Akano accommodating his editor’s child for mandatory IT training after other firms declined.
Members praised Akano’s commitment to human capital development as evidence of deep appreciation for the media community that chronicled New Horizons’ success over two decades.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has launched the NIMC Pre-Enrolment Portal to revolutionise the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process, enabling applicants within Nigeria and in the Diaspora to capture biodata online prior to biometric verification at enrolment centres.
NIMC
Accessible via penrol.nimc.gov.ng, the platform allows users to fill enrolment forms, schedule appointments, upload supporting documents securely, and manage personal details directly, thereby slashing congestion, minimising wait times, boosting data accuracy and enhancing overall service efficiency at centres nationwide.
NIMC Director-General and CEO, Engr. (Dr) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, spearheaded the initiative as part of the Commission’s technology-driven strategy to fortify institutional performance, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that emphasises digital transformation, efficient public service delivery and inclusive national development.
Dr Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications, highlighted key benefits including simplified biodata handling, confidential data protection through robust security measures, reduced physical centre visits and heightened operational effectiveness, urging all prospective enrollees to adopt the portal for a faster, citizen-friendly experience.[conversation_history]
The move underscores NIMC’s mandate under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007 to manage the National Identity Database, issue NINs and foster a reliable digital identity ecosystem vital for national planning, with users advised to complete pre-enrolment online before heading to selected centres for biometrics.
MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), a Pan-African film and television training institution, has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 intake.
MultiChoice
The fully funded programme is open to African graduates aspiring to become directors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, producers and storytellers.
According to MultiChoice, the nine-month accredited curriculum combines online learning with intensive in-person training, and is designed to balance theoretical knowledge with practical immersion.
MTF academies are located in Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia, and serve aspiring filmmakers from 14 African countries. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has trained 296 filmmakers, with graduates producing more than 42 movies aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax platforms.
Organisers said alumni of the programme have gone on to establish over 50 production companies, while many continue to work within the MultiChoice ecosystem.
Graduates have also won accolades at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Kalasha Awards, Uganda Film Festival and Women in Film Awards.
Applications for the 2026 intake close on Feb. 27, 2026. Interested candidates can visit https://apo-opa.co/3XW53oE for programme requirements.
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