Stakeholders in the advertising and marketing communications industry have called for stronger local participation, professional regulation and strategic collaboration to reposition the advertising business in Northern Nigeria.
The call was made on Wednesday during a regional summit on advertising and marketing communications held in Kano with the theme: “Reinvigorating the Advertising Business in the North: Issues, Challenges and Prospects.”
SolaceBase reports that the summit brought together regulators, media executives, advertising professionals and communication experts to discuss the challenges facing the industry and explore pathways for sustainable growth.
Speaking during the event, the Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, said the North possesses enormous advertising and market opportunities that must be fully harnessed for regional development.
“We recognise the market opportunities that the North provides, and this conversation is not just about developing the practice alone, but also about ensuring that the region takes maximum benefit from advertising,” he said.
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Fadolapo assured stakeholders of ARCON’s commitment to working with industry players, associations and businesses to strengthen the advertising sector in Northern Nigeria.
“We are going to work with stakeholders to ensure that we not only attract advertising benefits to the North, but also grow the market, support SMEs and startups, and collaborate with everybody concerned,” he added.
Also speaking, the Director General of the Kano State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KASA), Kabiru Sa’id Dakata, said the summit was timely considering concerns over the dominance of advertising activities in the region by agencies and stakeholders outside Northern Nigeria.
According to him, one of the major outcomes of the summit was the growing emphasis on local ownership of advertising content and processes.
“That is one of the essence of this event — to discuss the issues, identify the challenges and come up with recommendations that will address them,” he said.
Dakata said Fadolapo stressed the need for advertising content targeted at the region to be developed locally.
“The ARCON DG said every content must be developed locally, and I think this is something stakeholders should welcome and ensure full compliance with,” he added.
He noted that Kano stands to benefit significantly from the growth of the advertising industry due to its large population, vibrant market structure and concentration of professionals in the sector.
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“Most companies advertise in Kano because the first objective of advertising is visibility. We have the population and the market,” he said.
The KASA DG explained that increased advertising activities would not only generate more revenue for the government through regulatory agencies, but also create employment opportunities for industry players in the state.
On the issue of unprofessional practices within the sector, Dakata called for stronger collaboration between state and national regulators to address illegal operations and create a conducive environment for professionals to thrive.
“The regulators at both state and national levels should work together and ensure that those operating illegally are dealt with, so professionals can continue to grow and compete nationally and globally,” he said.
The Managing Director of Freedom Radio Group, Abbas Dalhatu, said traditional media organisations were facing increasing pressure due to changes in the global advertising ecosystem and the rise of digital platforms.
He explained that the traditional media business model relied heavily on producing content capable of attracting audiences, which in turn attracted advertisers.
“The way the media operates is that we produce compelling content that attracts viewers and listeners. Advertisers then take advantage of their presence to communicate their products,” he said.
Dalhatu noted that economic challenges and audience migration to digital platforms were threatening the sustainability of conventional media organisations.
“A lot of things have changed. The economy is stalling, and new platforms are taking viewers away from traditional media. We are here to discuss what we can do differently in the 21st century so that our business does not die,” he said.
Speaking further on his presentation at the summit, Dalhatu said broadcasters in Northern Nigeria had long complained about inadequate patronage and poor remuneration from Lagos-based advertising agencies.
