Broadcasting
UK Minister for Exports Visits Nigeria to Further Strengthen Bilateral Trade
This week, the UK Minister for Exports and Minister for Equalities, Mike Freer MP, will visit Nigeria to further strengthen the trade and economic ties between our two countries.
Mike Freer MP, UK Minister for Exports and Minister for Equalities
This visit follows shortly after the seventh UK and Nigeria Economic Development Forum which held on April, 2022 and was hosted by the UK’s Minister of State for Trade Policy, Penny Mordaunt in London.
Minister Freer’s visit to Nigeria will include meetings with government officials and leading business representatives to discuss opportunities for UK Export Finance (UKEF) to help facilitate infrastructure development projects as well as explore the growing commercial opportunities in key sectors, including renewable energy, financial services, manufacturing, technology, security, infrastructure, and the creatives.
During his trip, Minister Freer will visit the Apapa Port, Nigeria’s largest and busiest port, to learn more about the challenges and opportunities to support trade facilitation between the UK and Nigeria.
The visit will also include a meeting and tour of Eko Atlantic, Nigeria’s first Green City, to explore ways in which the UK can help support Nigeria’s transition to clean energy.
While in Lagos, the Minister will visit the UK pavilion at the Securex West Africa Conference, Africa’s largest exhibition for security, fire, and safety industry professionals, where he will meet with leading British business representatives showcasing their innovative cyber security solutions.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister Freer said: “I am delighted to be here in Nigeria to strengthen our economic ties and explore ways in which we can stimulate and increase trade between our two nations.
“As Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria has huge commercial opportunities for UK businesses to take hold of. Together with our partners in Nigeria, we want to unlock the full potential of our bilateral partnership to support Nigeria’s growing economy and deliver inclusive prosperity.”
The British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Ben Llewellyn-Jones OBE: “We are pleased to welcome Minister Freer to Nigeria to showcase the growing commercial opportunities available in sectors such as renewable energy and infrastructure.
“Nigeria is a vital trading partner for the UK and we are committed to working more closely together to ensure trade and investments in Nigeria are sustainable and inclusive using the UK’s world-leading innovation and technology.”
Bilateral trade between the UK and Nigeria reached £3.5 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2021, an increase of 1.9%.
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has announced the postponement of its maiden annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes to January 25, 2026.
NIPR
The event, earlier scheduled for December 7, 2025, was deferred to accommodate stakeholders whose observance of Christmas festivities had commenced earlier than expected.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Israel Opayemi, urged stakeholders to note the new date and prepare to participate in the ceremony.
He said the awards would motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars, while enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the public relations ecosystem and strengthening brand equity for all stakeholders.
Opayemi reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class award administration and ceremony, describing the PRICE Awards as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors.
The development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when the NIPR President and Chairman, Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, inaugurated a 12-man committee to organise the maiden edition. The inauguration followed the Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team tasked with establishing the awards.
Netflix has announced a landmark agreement to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max in a transaction valued at $82.7 billion, a move analysts say will reshape the global entertainment industry.
Netflix
The deal, which includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Games, was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix shares for each WBD share.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the acquisition as “a defining moment” for the streaming giant, noting that the company intends to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations while expanding its production capacity.
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies with Netflix’s culture-defining titles, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” Sarandos said.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, following the planned spin-off of WBD’s TV networks division, Discovery Global, in 2026. Netflix projects annual cost savings of $2–3 billion by the third year after completion and expects the deal to be accretive to earnings per share by year two.
Industry groups, including the Directors Guild of America and Cinema United, have raised concerns about the impact on movie theaters, while regulators are expected to scrutinize the deal over antitrust issues. Netflix has pledged to continue supporting theatrical releases, with Warner Bros.’ cinema commitments running through 2029.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed the agreement, saying it “combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love.”
Observers note that the acquisition comes 15 years after former Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes dismissed Netflix as “the Albanian army,” underscoring the dramatic shift in the entertainment landscape.
A major shake‑up rocks viewers and subscribers of DSTV/GOTV as many channels are set to shut down and be removed on January 1, 2026.
The trigger for the upcoming shut‑down is a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of multiple global channels and the pay‑TV operator.
As of December 2025, the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and DStv/GOtv has expired and the two parties have not reached a renewal agreement.
Without a new carriage/distribution agreement, the channels belonging to WBD risk being pulled off the DStv/GOtv line‑up.
This is the most significant content cutback the service has seen in years.
The affected channels are:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Cartoonito
Cartoon Network
CNN International
Food Network
The Travel Channel
TNT
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
HGTV
Discovery Family
PAPSS Cowry to Benefit Manufacturers, SMEs
Access Bank’s Digital Innovation Earns Top Financial Inclusion Award
NIPR Postpones Maiden PRICE Awards to January 25, 2026
CBN’s New Cash Policy: A Welcome Liberalisation or a Risky Retreat?
Africa Must Build Its Own Cybersecurity Intelligence, Says Tizel CEO At AfriTech 5.0
Kaspersky Introduces Cyber Pathways to Support Career Development in Cybersecurity
Nigeria’s $618m Tech Incubator Debuts
NITDA DG Tasks Youths to Drive Africa’s Digital Transformation
Firm Urges Organizations to Check Protection of their Websites Amid Search Engine Optimisation Attack Schemes
Hackers Breach Phones of Dangote and Otedola, Demand Ransom
Broadcasting2 days agoIt is Official, DStv Confirms Termination of 16 Major Channels
E-Financial2 days agoSenate Considers Bill to Empower CBN to Regulate Fintech
Broadcasting2 days agoParamount Africa Shuts Down after 20 Years
Telecom2 days agoAfrica’s $1bn Biometric ID Rollout Raises Concerns Over Privacy and Exclusion
E-Financial2 days agoBinance Launches ‘Binance Junior’ Crypto Savings Account for Kids and Teens
News2 days agoAfreximbank Taps Nigeria to Lead Africa’s Digital Trade Revolution
Telecom2 days agoSenator Akpoti Tops Google Searches in Nigeria’s 2025 Year in Review
E-Business2 days agoGenAI Adoption Among African workers Outpace Global Peers