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Transition to Digital Broadcasting Requires Careful Planning – Bolarinwa

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14 years ago

February 1, 2010

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Yomi Bolarinwa, director general, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) a parastatal of the Federal Government of Nigeria, empowered to regulate the broadcasting industry. Under him, the NBC is now evolving defined standards, in all aspects of Broadcasting, by effectively licensing, monitoring and regulating an environment that encourages investment and development of quality programming and technology for a viable industry, which competes favourably in the global information society. Bolarinwa spoke to hilary okeke on a wide of issues

Meeting the Digitisation Switchover Deadline
Yes. There are lots of activities going on already and the target date of June17, 2012 will be met. In October 2009, the African Union ministers of communications met in South Africa and one of their recommendations to African Heads of States was that the switchover date for African countries should be in 2012. The internationally signed agreement is 2015 for UHF and 2020 for VHF. We have signed an international agreement that come June 12, 2015 our transmission will not cause interference to our neighbours’ transmissions. The planning in Nigeria is carefully done so that our switchover date in Nigeria would be met. We are going to start from our border areas, take care of our international agreements and move inwards, until we finally switchover. But we will take it in phases, and it is important for us that come 2012, those border areas are switched off and we won’t be causing interference to anybody; and then we can use the experience to carefully move inwards.

Delayed Whitepaper on Recommendations by Presidential Advisory Committee
We have not stopped working to meet the deadline. We understand that there are certain things that should go on because it is very clear that we must transit from analogue to digital broadcasting. The standard adopted for Nigeria is the DVB-T, which is the standard used all over Europe and would also be used all over Africa, and the planning for transition is based on that.
There is no political intrigue around the yet to be issued whitepaper, government is just trying to ensure that everybody is being carried along. When you give tax or import duty waiver on broadcast equipment, for example, it affects the federation account. We are in a democratic dispensation, and this is not a matter to be decided by the executive alone. Members of the National Assembly are also involved and they need to deliberate and agree that this is what is best for the country. What is being done is to ensure that we have a firm policy on ground, unlike in South Africa and Ghana where problems are beginning to come up due to improper planning. There is no way the federal government would prefer a prolonged transition period (during which there will be simultaneous transmission of analogue and digital signals) because of its cost implications. We do not manufacture any of these equipment, and the longer the transition period, the more difficult it becomes for us to keep our analogue equipment going; and the more old disused equipment are dumped in Nigeria. A short transition period ensures that we can do this without so much cost. If we have a longer transition period, it is going to cost money, and would increase the cost of our eventual switchover. We need to get it right, otherwise we will run into trouble and confusion.
Situation with Broadcast Stations
Most broadcast stations in Nigeria have already gone digital. Broadcasting is a chain, which starts from the acquisition stage (with the microphone and camera), through the production and then the transmission stages. Today, the acquisition and the production parts of the chain are digital. What is left now is the last mile, that is the transmission of digital signals from stations to homes. Viewers at home should have the wherewithal to receive digital signals. So we are looking at the acquisition of a digital receiver or an analogue receiver with an additional equipment called the set-top box, which interfaces with the analogue TV set and converts digital signals to analogue.

Acquisition of New Transmitters
As far back as 2004, the broadcasting industry on its own had agreed that the industry should look at the issue of a central facility provider. When the issue of digitisation came up and the realities dawned on the industry, it was also agreed that a new set of licensees who should provide transmission services, be introduced. A facility provider will be a standalone Nigerian registered company, which understands the business of transmission and has the wherewithal to warehouse transmitters – including microwave, satellite, fibre optics links – since he needs to get signals from the broadcaster, and then transmit to viewers. We know that political decisions are taken in states to buy new transmitters for TV stations, but we are making efforts to get the chairman of the Governors’ Forum so that we can talk to them. The Board members of the National Broadcasting Commission are trying to go round states to advise these political officeholders about the futility of acquiring new transmission equipment, especially for TV stations.
In the digital domain, broadcasters would have the license to provide their content and somebody else would have the license to provide transmission services. If you have your license today as a broadcaster, it does not matter where you do your production. All you need is the ability to send your content to the transmission provider and you are on-air. So business becomes even easier and cheaper for them.

Making Set-Top Boxes Available
With an analogue TV set you need to buy a set-top box in order to receive digital signals from a station like NTA. Considering the economic situation in the country and the fact that many people could barely afford digital ready TV sets, a reasonable option would be using set-top boxes that currently cost an average of $50, which many cannot afford too. As transition moves to the switchover date all over the world though, it follows that large numbers of set-top boxes are required and thus, the cost would reduce. What the Nigerian government might do is to encourage some manufacturers of set-top boxes to open shop here, close the border to the importation of such devices, give them tax holiday or import waiver on every component and provide infrastructure for them. These would bring down the average cost of a set-top box to between $15 and $20. The South African government has provided an enabling environment for manufacturers to make set-top boxes and ensured that they are of the same standard with the ones in other countries within the southern African belt. They provided a big market for the manufacturers, and the price came down to what their citizens can afford. This is what we are considering. The border should also be strengthened so that nobody jeopardizes the whole effort, and the manufacturers encouraged so that we would get a reasonable price and have set-top boxes available to everybody.

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Climate Action Africa Opens Applications for CAAF24 Deal Room

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9 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Ugo Onwuaso

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Climate Action Africa (CAA), a leading advocate for climate resilience and sustainable development, has announced the opening of applications for the Deal Room at the 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum (CAAF24). The Deal Room is a groundbreaking platform that aims to connect high-impact climate innovators in Africa with potential investors seeking to accelerate sustainable solutions.

The CAAF Deal Room is a strategic initiative that aims to create opportunities for innovators in the climate-tech domain focusing on emission reduction, energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy, and building and construction.

The goal of the Deal Room is to select finalists who will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative ideas and solutions at the upcoming 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum, which will be held on June 19th in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Deal Room aims to boost investments in Africa’s green economy by galvanising a community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to create applicable solutions that can mitigate the challenges of climate change on the African continent.

The Deal Room session will facilitate financing for solutions contributing to the growth and sustainability of Africa’s green economy. These deals may encompass prize money, equity plans, debt financing, mergers and acquisitions, and other investment options.

“Through the CAAF24 Deal Room, we aim to bridge the critical gap between promising climate ventures and the essential resources they need to thrive,” says Grace Oluchi Mbah, Co-founder and Executive Director of Climate Action Africa (CAA). “By facilitating connections between passionate entrepreneurs and dedicated investors, we can collectively unlock the immense potential of climate solutions in Africa.”

The eligibility criteria for applying include:

● The company must be African-owned and operate in any of the 54 African countries.

● It must be a for-profit company, between 1-5 years post-incorporation, post-MVP (minimum viable product), and post-GTM (go-to-market).

● The company should leverage digital technology to deliver its business model.

● Female ownership is an added advantage.

Those eligible to apply include venture capitalists, impact investors, climate tech startups, Green SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), philanthropic organisations, and government representatives.

Following the CAAF24 deal-room will be a post-event accelerator in partnership with the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute and IDEA Africa. This Africa-wide initiative is specifically designed to further accelerate and enhance support for promising Climate Tech startups and founders who participated in the Deal Room.

The official unveiling of this accelerator will take place at the Climate Action Africa Forum 2024 (CAAF24), marking a significant step forward in driving Climate Tech innovations throughout Africa.

Applications for the CAAF24 Deal Room are open from April 22nd until May 17th. Interested applicants can register at https://deal.caaf.africa/register.

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LCCI Urges FG to Simplify Trade Procedures to Boost Economy

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1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said that the government needs to simplify and harmonize trade procedures and address bottlenecks in order to boost economic growth in the country.

President of LCCI, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, gave the charge at a Quarterly media briefing on the State of the Economy yesterday in Lagos.

He said that the government has to create an atmosphere that promotes export growth and competitiveness, which is projected to boost export earnings, raise domestic revenue, improve citizens’ welfare, and increase business productivity.

“We recommend that reforms must include simplifying and harmonizing trade procedures as well as addressing bottlenecks such as port logistics, congestion, and transportation costs. This is expected to position the country as the commercial centre of the region and a springboard into regional value chains,” he stated.

On managing the persistent high inflation, the LCCI president said both monetary and fiscal authorities should focus on the factors driving the inflation rates by tackling the supply-side deficiencies instead of focusing too much attention on the demand-side management.

“We urge the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue with its foreign exchange (forex) market reforms with intense discipline, as the high exchange rate against the naira is a major driver of the skyrocketing inflation rates.”

Idahosa acknowledged the improvement in the naira exchange rate in the last few days, moving towards the level of N1000 per dollar or lower.

“CBN needs to sustain its policy and regulatory reforms in the FX market, adopt policies that would attract more FX inflow into the economy as well as build market confidence in the performance of the FX market,” he added.

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Dufil Takes Donation of Indomie Noodles Cartons to Vulnerable Communities in Abuja and Environ

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3 days ago

April 20, 2024

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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In line with its commitment to provide critical support to indigent members of communities around the country in the face of the ongoing economic challenges, Dufil Prima Foods Limited, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, in partnership with Golan Helps Abuja Food Bank Initiative (GHAFBI) and Meluibe Foundation on Wednesday, April 17 distributed Indomie noodles cartons to vulnerable communities in Kuje and Kubwa Local Government Areas in Abuja.

With the goal of alleviating hunger and supporting communities across Nigeria, Indomie Instant Noodles has committed to donating a substantial quantity of noodle packs to various NGOs working tirelessly to address food insecurity.

These organizations play a crucial role in reaching remote and underserved areas, ensuring that nutritious meals reach those who need them most.

“We are deeply committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate,” said Olusola Olayinka Idowu OON, former Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, and the CEO/Founder of GHAFBI.

“At GHAFBI, we believe that everyone deserves access to wholesome and nourishing food. Our partnership with Dufil Prima Foods to donate Indomie Noodles packs is a big step towards addressing food insecurity and supporting vulnerable communities in Abuja”, said Idowu who was also the former National Conveyor, UN Food System Dialogues in Nigeria.

Speaking in the same vein, Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele, Executive Director, The Meluibe Empowerment Foundation, expressed her gratitude to Indomie Noodles for the partnership. “Our vision as an NGO is to change the world one step at a time, by providing relief and support to vulnerable communities.

This is achieved through collaborations and partnerships, one of which is what we have done with Indomie Noodles. We remain grateful for their support through this food relief initiative”, she said.

By partnering with NGOs, Indomie Instant Noodles works closely with local leaders and community heads in directly engaging with rural communities to distribute noodle packs and provide immediate relief to families facing hunger and ensuring that food assistance reaches those who are most in need, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with NGOs and community leaders to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people facing food insecurity”, said Temitope Ashiwaju, Group Corporate Communications and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Limited. “Together, we bring hope, love and relief for all”.

The community leaders and some of the beneficiaries also expressed their immense gratitude to Indomie for the support, stressing the impact the products donated will have in alleviating hunger in their communities.

Speaking at the outreach centre, His Royal Highness, Muhammed D. Jibril, Community Leader of Gbazango Community in Kubwa Local Government Area said: “I am very grateful to Indomie Noodles for coming to our aid in these challenging times. I pray for more expansion and growth for the business and may God bless Indomie Noodles”.

Other communities who benefited from the product donations include Wunmi, Tondo, Godoji and Shazhi communities in Kuje Area Council of Abuja.

Dufil Prima Food’s donation of Indomie Noodle packs underscores its commitment to corporate social responsibility and its dedication to supporting communities in need. By providing essential food relief, Dufil Prima Foods is contributing to the well-being and resilience of vulnerable populations in Nigeria.

Indomie Instant Noodles remains dedicated to bringing joy to mealtimes and making a positive impact in communities around the world.

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