10th Anniversary: ICIR Holds Conference On Media Sustainability

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, is set to hold an event on Media Sustainability to commemorate its 10th anniversary at the Transcorp Hotel, in Abuja.

The media non-profit outfit would mark the milestone with a conference scheduled for June 22, where the subject of media fragility in a period of emerging technology platforms will be discussed.

The topic would offer an opportunity to reflect on the issue of financial viability and sustainability that media organisations around the world are grappling with daily.

The Executive Director and Founder of the ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, observed that the challenge increased following stiff competition for advertising revenues with the rise of technology platforms such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and several others, leaving the media business in a fragile condition.

Aiyetan noted that in the last two years, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had worsened the misfortunes of global media enterprises in ways never imagined before.

“But while the Western Media to a large extent seems to have found winning formulae to do business profitably, the media in the Global South, particularly countries in Africa, is still struggling to stay afloat,” he said.

Speaking on the planned conference, Aiyetan also observed that it was imperative to have a conversation on the future of the media in Africa, particularly its viability and profitability.

“Many news organisations are not profitable because of dwindling sales and ad revenue, many media companies cannot pay salaries and are laying off staff. The media in Nigeria is haemorrhaging,” he said, adding that industry leaders must discuss how to find profitable ways of running media businesses.

“It is in view of these multiple challenges that the ICIR is inviting media practitioners and other stakeholders to a conference on media sustainability in Nigeria,”
a communique signed by its Managing Editor, Amzat Ajibola, said.

A keynote address on Sustainability Imperatives for African Media would be delivered by Tshepo Mahloele, Chairperson of Arena Holdings, one of Africa’s largest English newspaper publishers in South Africa.

Mahloele is also an entrepreneur who holds major investments in many projects in South Africa and other countries.

Also, there will be a panel discussion featuring discussants such as Chief Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman, Thisday Newspapers; Ms Chris Anyanwu, CEO, Hot Fm; Mallam Kabir Yusuf, CEO, Daily Trust Newspapers; and Ms Kadaria Ahmed, CEO, RadioNow and Professor Abigail Ogwezzy – Ndisika of the University of Lagos, UNILAG.

Martins Oloja, the Managing Director of Guardian Newspaper Limited will moderate the conversation while Euginia Abu, a respected TV personality, would compère the event.

The ICIR is an independent, non-profit news agency that promotes transparency and accountability through robust and objective investigative reporting.

Its mission is to use excellent, investigative journalism to promote good governance by building a culture of critical reporting in the media.