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Nigeria: African Media Urged to Embrace Digital Revolution

Godwin Haruna

7 November 2009

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Lagos — African media leaders ended their meeting in Lagos yesterday with a call on owners and operators of media organisations to embrace the digital revolution for seamless information dissemination on the continent.

The media practitioners under the umbrella of the African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF), whose founding Chairman, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY, met in Lagos to discuss developments in Africa amid a range of cutting-edge issues affecting the continent's media industry.

This is coming as the continent is contending with the impact of the global financial crisis, receding economic growth and the advent of new, social media technologies that are fundamentally altering existing media business models all across the globe.

Speaking in a keynote address with the theme, "Challenges and Opportunities in a Digital World: Envisioning New Media Business Models," Prof. John Lavine, Dean of Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, United States, tasked media owners to invest in journalism.

He said in the emerging digital world, understading the audience is very important and that the new future in the digital world is the cell phone.

Lavine noted that depending on the engagement of a story, the people would give their time and money to access it adding: "Our stories should impact deeply on the people's insights and their experiences."

He said the most valuable content is generated from traditional and unique sources and "it demonstrates how events impact audiences and relate to trends."

Lavine said illiteracy is not an obstacle to digitization because of the influence of radio that can transmit messages in various languages that can easily be understood even by those who can not read and write.

Lavine advised media owners to invest more in investigative journalism and smart use of data in stories.

He also canvassed for a system whereby the media can exchange information that could be relevant to the different communities of Africa.

Obaigbena declared that in this age of digitization, the licensing regimes in most African countries before entrepreneurs can set up broadcast stations have become obsolete.

He therefore called on AMLF to prevail on African governments to discount such licensing laws, which obviously inhibit free speech.

Also speaking on the issue, Chris Kabwato, director, Highway Africa, said the cell phone which is a veritable instrument of digitization is currently being used in Uganda for four purposes - voice calls, radio, SMS and getting internet generated information.

He said the majority of Africans are already accessing the internet for the first time on their mobile phones and not on computers.

Kabwato added that another opportunity would be the one offered the Diaspora African community to get in touch through services that the media is offering.

In her remarks on the subject, Ms Robin Sanders, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria stated that internet provides a broad range of opportunities for the media on the continent, which they can latch on to for the development of their countries.

Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba, executive director, African Media Initiative noted: "By convening the forum in Nigeria, Africa's most populous democracy, we are sending a message that the strengthening of mass media systems is an urgent imperative for societal advancement, and needs the support of governments, business leaders and civil society."

An overarching objective of the forum was to explore ways in which the voices of the vast majority of Africans can be better mobilised to create a new narrative that is centred on wealth creation, away from the stereotypical view that emphasises problems and deficiencies at the expense of opportunity.

"Now, more than ever before, is the time to create a new wealth narrative that can help improve the everyday lives of millions of Africans who yearn for economic opportunity, knowledge and cultural expression," noted Eric Chinje, manager, Africa Region External Affairs at the World Bank.

In his closing remarks, Obaigbena thanked delegates who came to Nigeria to share enterprising ideas to shape the media in Africa.

He said next year's venue would be decided by the secretariat of AMLF and communicated to participants.

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