NEMCEA 2026: Industry leaders task creators to build sustainable businesses, monetize IP

Media executives, advertisers, content aggregators, buyers, media production outfits, and government regulators have called on Nigerian content creators and electronic media producers to shift focus from mere creative expression toward structural wealth creation, intellectual property,IP, protection, and enterprise development.

The charge was delivered during the 5th Nigerian Electronic Media Content Exhibition and Awards,NEMCEA 2026, held recently in Lagos, under the theme “The Creator Economy – Elevate Your Craft, Secure Your Future.”

Opening the discourse, the President of the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN) and CEO of ADNOM Media Limited, Mr. Adeniji Omirin, asserted that lower entry barriers created by technology must be matched with resilient corporate structures. He charged creators to build business models capable of surviving rapid changes in technology and audience behaviour.

“NEMCEA has evolved into a significant marketplace for the discovery, exchange, exhibition and celebration of TV, radio and electronic media content, and this year’s edition has been deliberately designed to create even greater opportunities for learning, networking, collaboration and business,” he said.

For the advertising industry, the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, who represented the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, called for responsible and ethical content as advertising increasingly finds expression through social media, skits and other digital formats.
Fadolapo said regulation must evolve with changes in the media environment, noting that advertising content embedded in entertainment and short-form digital productions requires appropriate regulatory attention.

Supporting this charge, former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that Nigeria must move from exporting talent to exporting intellectual property, and from producing one-off content to building valuable library portfolios.
“We must ensure that our creators are not merely celebrated, they should be properly paid. Our intellectual property should not merely be admired, it should be properly protected. And our content should not merely be produced, it should be properly monetised,” he said.

To support this enterprise push, Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Mohammed Bulama, called for strong institutional collaboration to equip content creators with digital-age competencies. Highlighting FRCN’s willingness to host joint practical workshops and technical labs, Dr. Bulama stated:
“We can do joint labs, trainings, and so on and so forth. So I am saying that NEMCEA should take full advantage of what we are doing in Radio Nigeria, especially in the training school.”

Bulama also stressed that for content monetization to succeed, the media industry must urgently establish credible, widely accepted audience measurement metrics especially in the radio sector to provide verifiable data for advertisers and investors.
According to the NEMCEA 2026 Project Director, Alayande Stephen T., “As content creators and media custodians, our responsibility goes beyond entertainment. We hold the key to narrative power. We shape culture, influence public policy, inform societies, and drive economic growth. However, this power comes with the urgent need for structural alignment, we must embrace robust local content quotas, fully realize the benefits of the Digital Switch Over, and create sustainable economic models that protect creators while serving audiences.”

The Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Charles Ebuebu, meanwhile, identified regulatory challenges arising from the convergence of broadcasting, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and other emerging technologies.
He called for stronger coordination among regulatory agencies to address emerging issues without creating unnecessary duplication.

Ebuebu also disclosed that the NBC is working on new regulations addressing online safety and responsible use of artificial intelligence in broadcasting.
The event also featured contributions from critical industry stakeholders like Mr. Lanre Adisa, President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Brendan Nwagwu, President, Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), Uche Agbo, President, Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), ADVAN, NCAA, BON and others.

Different panel sessions and speakers took turns during the 2-day event to examine critical issues affecting the creative economy in Nigeria as they proffered solutions, just as the well-attended Director General’s (DG’s) Roundtable held, before the event culminated in a night of glamour, glitz and celebration during the 5th edition of the awards night.

NEMCEA 2026 was sponsored by ZWorld, Standard Insurance Consultants Limited, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), LAPO Microfinance Bank Ltd., National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and supported by Algorithm Media Ltd., Maxi Media, MTN, Tolaram Group, OMD MediaReach, MediaFuse Dentsu, Plus Acuity Media Ltd., Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Voice of Nigeria (VON), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Orange Insurance Brokers Ltd., Micro Investment Support Services (MISS), MediaTrak, STV, WAP TV, R2TV/R2FM among others .