Information minister restates commitment, support for broadcast industry

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has restated support and commitment to the growth and development of the broadcast industry in Nigeria and beyond.

Idris made the declaration at the 13th edition of AFRICAST 2023 Conference in Lagos.

The conference, with the theme “Broadcasting content, synergy, finance, and market”, is organised by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

According to him, the industry is a subset of Nigeria’s economy, which is critical to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the economic vision of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The minister expressed delight that the conference had become a pinnacle event in the African broadcasting sector.

He added that AFRICAST had garnered a reputation for its remarkable thought leadership, knowledge sharing, networking, opportunities and commercial prospects.

He stated that AFRICAST was conceived by the NBC as a response to Africa’s flourishing broadcasting sector, which aimed to connect broadcasters, content platforms, production houses, and equipment manufacturers through panel discussions.

Highlighting the economic potential of the broadcast industry, the minister emphasised the importance of collaboration between the government and the private sector to create viable pipelines of profitability.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure Nigeria’s successful migration to Digital Switchover (DSO) in broadcasting, addressing previous challenges and adopting global best practices.