[FoME] Nigeria Report: Small Business Journalism & Media Development

[Christoph Dietz]

Making media work for the poor 
Adam Smith International; Springfield Centre, 2013, 27 p.

Download:
http://www.springfieldcentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ENABLE-Media-Case-Study-media-final.pdf

Aus dem "executive summary":

The Nigerian media focuses little on business, and the business
coverage that does exist is often dominated by macro-economic, large and
international business issues, or is one-sided, representing only the
views of government or the elite. The real issues that impact on
Nigeria’s millions of small businesses and its huge agricultural
sector are often neglected, and the poor are denied an effective voice
on business environment issues ... ENABLE [the Enhancing Nigerian
Advocacy for a Better Business Environment Programme] ... recognis[es]
media as a key driver of change and working to reinforce the incentives
and improve the skills around small business and agricultural reporting.
This involves developing the media as a major actor in the business
environment policy process, and working with them to increase the
quality and quantity of sustainable (commercially viable) coverage of
small business and agricultural issues. The underlying premise for
sustainability in media is simple: media coverage that focuses on the
real issues that impact on how the majority of Nigerian’s make their
living, and which does this in a dynamic and relevant way, will gain
significant audience. These popular media products will then attract
advertisers and sponsorship. In other words, effective programmes that
focus on the livelihoods of the poor can be both popular and profitable
for media houses.

ENABLE’s Results in Changing the Media Industry
ENABLE worked initially with eleven media houses. From these eleven
media partners, four emerged as “star partners” from which greater
impact and replication could be leveraged. These include the second
largest circulating newspaper in Nigeria (Daily Trust), the first and
second most listened to radio stations (Freedom Radio in Kano and
Wazobia in Lagos) and the main state TV broadcaster in Lagos (LTV). The
products emerging from these star partnerships have proven the
popularity and profitability of investigative, issue-based small
business content, and have resulted in replication of the concept both
within the partner media houses themselves and by their competitors. At
least eight stations and publications have been identified as having
changed practices as a result of the work done with these four star
partners. The ENABLE work has changed media owners’ and
practitioners’ perspectives of small business and agriculture
coverage. Such coverage is now perceived in partner media houses as
popular and profitable, and star partners in particular are devoting
considerable resources to sustaining and expanding their small business
and agriculture coverage (without any direct financial inducements from
ENABLE).

ENABLE’s Impact on Advocacy and Dialogue Through Media
The new and improved media products launched by ENABLE partners (and
their imitators) have investigated a wide number of advocacy issues.
Some of these are national campaigns while others are local issues. All
are issues that impact on the lives, incomes and employment of poor
people in small business and agriculture. Examples include: The Daily
Trust running an ongoing series of penetrating reports on the reality of
government subsidy and distribution of fertiliser. Lack of access to
fertiliser is one of the major constraints to improved agricultural
productivity and rural incomes in Nigeria. Exploring issues facing
market traders, including highlighting the cost to traders of Lagos
State Government’s unannounced and forced temporary closure of the
huge Mile 12 market in Lagos. Broadcast media exposing multiple and
illegal taxation in Kano State. Broadcast media providing a platform for
debate on the introduction of the “Cashless Economy” and its
implications for small traders. Supporting the advocacy of Okada drivers
(motorcycle taxi drivers) in their drive to reduce the impact on their
business of new Lagos Traffic Laws. By opening up the media space in
this way, ENABLE has given a sustainable voice to organisations and
people that previously lacked access to the policy making process, such
as smallholder farmers and Okada drivers.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
Christoph Dietz
CAMECO
Postfach 10 21 04 
D-52021 Aachen, Germany
Tel.: 0049 - 241 - 70 13 12 14
Fax: 0049 - 241 - 70 13 12 33
christoph.dietz at cameco.org 
http://www.cameco.org