Broadcasting
NTA, Others Constrained by Lack of Funds- Mohammed
Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and National Orientation has said that government-owned media were operating under lots of constraints due to lack of proper funding.
Mohammed made this known at an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of government media organisations at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
There were nine agencies in attendance including News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) among others. Mohammed said that with the over 203 FRCN FM stations across the country, the agency was operating under lots of constraints.
“We know what to do to run FRCN and NTA profitably but we have an obligation to provide social services and create employment for Nigerian youths. We want to make money but we are constrained,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim Mammaga, acting managing director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that as a federal government agency, the agency was 100 per cent financed by the government but until recently, the agency was not getting anything.
“Our responsibility is to educate just like FRCN, NTA. We operate in all the states of the federation with 28 district offices,” he said.
Mammaga who said that with a staff strength of more than 500 that could compete with their counterparts around the world, the agency was still constrained by insufficient funds.
“Until recently when we established the multimedia unit, we don’t generate revenue. What we generate from our subscribers is too small to the extent that it will not finance one per cent of our operations.
“We have equipment in all the states of the federation, but the equipment are not working. If not for our laptops and smartphones, we will be in a difficult situation,” he said.
The acting MD who noted that the agency provided content to its subscribers decried that what was being generated from such clients was very meagre.
“For instance in 2017, we were able to realise only N130 million and this cannot even pay our electricity bill,” Mammaga said.
He said that even though one of the challenges facing the agency was lack of proper funding, the agency had generated some money and remitted 25 per cent to the government.
Sen. Adedayo Adedeye, a member of the committee, said that the information ministry was facing a challenge of managing information with the era of social media.
“The issue of fake news is very real. We need to find ways to tackle the menace,” he said.
Adeyeye who is the chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs advised government to creatively find ways of managing information in the age of social media and proliferation of fake news.
He, however, urged the agencies to generate more revenue to run the stations and contribute revenue to government.
Broadcasting
Northern Broadcasters Sue Arewa 24, 7 Others over Licensing
Board of Trustees of the Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association (NBMOA) has filed a lawsuit against the broadcast company Arewa 24 Limited and seven other entities, alleging they are operating without proper licenses.
The case, set for hearing before Justice Omotosho at the Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), lists the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council (FCCPC), MIPAN, MultiChoice, StarTimes, and ADVAN as defendants.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, chairman of the NBMOA Board of Trustees, highlighted concerns that the unlicensed operations of the defendants pose a threat to Nigeria’s established legal and competitive media landscape, impacting media owners and audiences nationwide.
Ramalan stated, “Our objective is to ensure a fair, regulated media environment in line with established broadcasting standards, while maintaining a commitment to the rule of law.”
The NBMOA affirmed its commitment to lawful broadcasting standards and noted that it would refrain from further public comments until the legal proceedings are concluded to respect the judicial process.
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s broadcasting industry are closely watching the case, as its outcome could have significant implications for media regulation and licensing across the country
Broadcasting
Africa’s AI Transformation: Unlocking Potential and Driving Progress
By Matt Brittin, President of Google Europe, the Middle East and Africa
AI has the potential to drive progress and prosperity across the world. But nowhere is this more apparent than on the African continent. The next decade is set to be Africa’s digital decade – with emerging technologies like AI and the Cloud set to significantly accelerate the continent’s development, and over half the population accessing the Internet for the first time. Simply, AI presents an opportunity too significant to ignore for Africa.
Google is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation, but we’re prouder still of those driving this change. Across the region, African entrepreneurs, nonprofits and organisations are using innovation to solve complex challenges.
Earlier this week I visited Jacaranda Health in Nairobi, who are working to reduce Kenya’s high maternal death rate by using AI to ensure expectant and new moms get the care and information they need. Then there was AirQo, tackling the huge public health problem that is pollution by using AI to track and predict pollution – including in Lagos city.
And in the past few days, I’ve been fortunate enough to explore Nigeria with our Nigerian-born Head of Google Africa, Alex Okosi, and our wonderful local team of Nigerian experts. We’ve had inspiring conversations with business leaders already at the forefront of their industries and explored how to leverage the power of AI to scale their businesses. We also engaged with startups like Towntalk, Farmspeak, and BetaLife, who are using AI to solve some of Nigeria’s biggest challenges.
But AI’s opportunity can only be realised when everyone is included. This week, to help unlock the benefits of the digital economy to everyone, our Speech team in partnership with Google researchers in Accra, launched Voice Search, talk-to-type and voice input on Translate for 15 more African languages – enabling 300 million more Africans the freedom to interact with the web and communicate with their friends and family in the way that comes most naturally to many people: their voice. This includes Nigerian native languages Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin, and is another great example of AI built with Africans for Africans.
We believe AI has a pivotal role to play in developing Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. For Africa to fulfil its potential as an AI leader, we need to invest in the skills and knowledge base of local talent. That’s why we’ve backed several initiatives to boost AI skills among developers, individuals and businesses in Nigeria and beyond.
Our Google Career Certificates are enabling Nigerians to develop work-readiness in skills like AI, cybersecurity, digital marketing and programming languages like Python and SQL. Meanwhile, skills-based initiatives like our Hustle Academy provide AI-focused training for small and medium-sized businesses in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
And this week, we’ve announced an additional $5.8 million in funding to support foundational AI and cybersecurity training across these countries. That includes $1.5 million for Data Science Nigeria, who will train unemployed and at risk Nigerians in foundational digital and technology – while Raspberry Pi will also work with Data Science Nigeria to roll out AI literacy for Kenyan and Nigerian youth.
To further inspire the next generation, we are launching a program to train 25,000 educators, equipping them with the knowledge and resources to bring AI education to 125,000 students across Nigeria. By fostering an understanding of AI’s potential among young people, we can inspire them toward sustainable future jobs and empower them to shape a better future for themselves and their communities.
This progress is underpinned by infrastructure. In late 2022, our Equiano subsea fibre-optic cable launched in Lagos – providing a new generation of Nigerians with greater connectivity to expand their horizons. Technology alone is not the answer to everything, but it can provide the foundation that enables the next generation of African businesses to thrive. Ultimately, technology is the means by which we can improve lives.
If we measure this progress numerically, AI is a bet worth taking. For every $1 invested in Sub-Saharan Africa’s digital economy, we can generate $2 in economic value by 2030. For some nations, like Nigeria, the growth will be even greater, with an $8 return for every $1 invested.
But beyond the numbers are the stories of the lives we can transform. For every student at the start of their journey, or the budding entrepreneur with a great idea, investment truly matters. We can empower individuals with the knowledge to understand the digital tools at their fingertips. And just as importantly, we can inspire a mindset shift – a renewed belief in the power of education and skills to shape a better future.
We’re proud to have seen this development up close. Our commitment to the digital transformation of the continent began in 2007 with the opening of our first office in Nairobi, Kenya, where we later announced the launch of our Product Development Center in 2022. And in 2018, we opened an AI research centre in Accra, Ghana, where our teams on the ground explore how AI can be used to solve problems in Africa and beyond.
Collaboration is key, and we’ve worked to foster partnerships and develop programmes with institutions and innovators across Africa. By enabling governments and businesses to integrate technologies like AI into the way they operate, we believe we can improve efficiency and bridge divides.
But this is not just a Google story – it’s a true African success story in the making. AI is not something to be imposed on Africa from the top-down, but rather, built from the bottom-up. It’s about collaboration, partnerships, and putting local entrepreneurial talent in the driving seat.
The task now is to ensure that all Africans benefit from these technological breakthroughs – and to use AI responsibly and equitably. Africa is no stranger to leveraging technology for the greater good. African innovators have pioneered technology like mobile money systems – starting with M-Pesa in Kenya – that have influenced financial inclusion and the way the world does business.
So there is nowhere better placed than Africa to ensure the future of AI is in good hands. And if we succeed, it’s not just Africa that will benefit – but the whole world.
Broadcasting
Fire Razes 3 Radio Stations in Abia
Three radio stations lost their electronic broadcasting equipment worth millions on Saturday night in Aba, Abia state, when they were gutted by fire.
The affected radio stations were Enyimba 94.3 FM, Rose 101.9 FM and Legend 98.3 FM which were all located in the same building located o on the PZ axis of Aba-Owerri Road.
But for the intervention of the officials of the Abia State Fire Service, the fire may have spread to other buildings within the vicinity.
No life was lost in the raging inferno.
According to The Nation, a personnel of the Abia State Fire Service, who pleaded anonymity, called on owners of big factories and companies to procure fire extinguishers and hydrants to help assist manage and attack fire during such incident.
- News1 day ago
FG to Deploy Drones to Curb Oil Theft in Niger Delta – Lokpobiri
- Telecom1 day ago
MobileCoreX Taps Wireless Technology Labs in Multi-Million Dollar Deal to Build New Mobile Core Network across Nigeria
- Broadcasting1 day ago
Ngozi Anyaegbunam, Veteran Journalist, Dies At 67
- News1 day ago
Hydro Electric Core Generator Bags Renewable Energy Innovation Challenge 2024
- Broadcasting1 day ago
Fire Razes 3 Radio Stations in Abia
- News1 day ago
Nigeria Loses N1 Trillion Annually from Printed Materials- GUPPAN
- News1 day ago
Police to Charge 113 Foreigners, Nigerians Arrested for Cybercrime
- E-Business1 day ago
Konga Yakata Black Friday Sale Begins: Up to 85% Discount Across Categories