Oluwatosin Enesi
The Director General, National Broadcasting Commission, Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, has announced the Commission’s plan to host the 13th edition of Africast in Lagos from the 24th – 26th October, 2023, with the theme “Broadcast Content: Synergy, Finance and Market”.
He made this known on Tuesday, 18th July 2023, at the Africast press conference, which took place at the Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, venue for Africast 2023.
Addressing a press conference, Mallam. Balarabe Shehu Ilelah noted that Africast, which is a biennial international conference of African broadcasters, provides a platform for analysis and review of Africa’s broadcast perspectives in relation to international best practices and standards.
He said that due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resultant implications in bringing people together, the Commission in 2020, could not host the event, adding that it is imperative for the NBC to host this year’s edition. He noted that to make it more engaging, the Commission decided to change the host city from Abuja to Lagos being the hub of the content market in the broadcast industry in Nigeria.
The DG further noted that the importance of AFRICAST cannot be overemphasized because the conference has continued to attract the ‘who is who’ in the local and international broadcast industry and has over the years, put the country on the global broadcasting map with its attendant benefits.
Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah emphasized that the conference is Africa’s investment platform for broadcast content and technology, giving networking opportunities for broadcasters, as well as, those in the broadcast business.
Planned to host varied participation of up to 700+ delegates from across the world, this year’s Africast like previous editions, will provide a platform for world-class exposition, showcasing the very best in creativity, innovation and technological advancements in Africa’s broadcast and media ecosystem.
Mallam Ilelah also added that Africast is another effort at correcting the imbalance in world information flow, being a platform for interaction between information practitioners from across the globe where Africa’s point of view is given full expression.
The DG used the Africast press conference to enjoin broadcasters to always adhere strictly to the principles of the journalism profession in the course of discharging their journalistic duties.
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