In an effort to reform Nigeria’s broadcast industry, the nation’s federal government has announced that it will enforce 70 percent local content in TV and radio programmes in the country.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, revealed this at a meeting with the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN) in Lagos.
Describing the decision as revolutionary, Mohammed said that reforms in the broadcast sector are crucial for new innovations and improvements in the industry.
He added that the new legislation for broadcasting in the country had ended monopoly and provided room for competitiveness.
Emphasizing that the Central Bank of Nigeria would be making funds available for the creative industry, the minister called for EMCOAN to work with the government by identifying priority programmes that would require funding or promotion from the apex bank.
He urged EMCOAN to continue producing local content that reflects Nigeria’s diverse cultures in order to cultivate values and ethics in children.
In response, the President of EMCOAN, Jibe Ologeh, said that the association is “responsible for over 85 percent of the content in Nigeria’s broadcast industry.
She said that the association supports the ministry on the reforms which will give priority to local producers.
