The chairman of DAAR Communications Plc Raymond Dokpesi Jnr has put forward plans that will ensure collaborative growth in Nigeria’s broadcast industry
In a statement declaring his intention to contest for the chairmanship of the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria BON, Dokpesi highlighted that the country is at a pivotal moment in information flow that requires collaboration among key industry players whether private, public, cable or emerging broadcast entrepreneurs
According to him, the goal is to build an industry and a future that works for all, ensuring inclusivity
for both both startups and the legacy stations
He noted the challenges that have plagued broadcasting organizations in the country which has made operating cost far outweigh profitability and calls on government to see it as a matter requiring urgent attention to ensure the sector provides the necessary contribution to the economy
Dokpesi said, “we need the government to declare a national emergency on broadcasting and examine how to fix the structural, legislative, and regulatory frameworks for our industry, aligning them with these five pillars we have adopted”.
His ambition is to work with other players to grow the broadcast industry ten times bigger that it currently is in the next 3-5 years
To achieve this, he has identified five key paths which include safeguarding the industry by protecting national information sovereignty and building economic resilience for Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcasters, PSBs, local content creators, and indigenous NBC-licensed broadcasters.
Others are protection from unfair competition, misinformation, and external threats—through robust regulations like data localization, content quotas.
He also plans to grow the industry by accelerating economic expansion through digitization, spectrum efficiency, innovation such as AI and social media integration, stakeholder empowerment, tax incentives, and levying strategic products and services—leveraging a dedicated FTA Development Fund for content acquisition and infrastructure
On the historical faceoffs between broadcasters and the regulator – the NBC – Dokpesi seeks to promote “ethical content and self-regulation by establishing standards for quality, accuracy, and ethics to combat misinformation and hate speech, while empowering industry-led mechanisms like BON committees to foster trust and reduce regulatory burdens, with outcomes measured by compliance rates and public trust surveys”.
He is also hoping to establish a robust platform for accessibility that will ensure “diverse representation—gender, regional, and youth voices—and universal access to broadcasting services, including rural and underserved areas, through mandates for inclusive programming”
The DAAR chairman says this can be achieved by building long-term resilience that reduces operational costs by 30% through eco-friendly incentives and upskilling programs for the workforce, supported by audience measurement standards to verify FTA impact.
He says DAAR Communications Plc, has begun preliminary implementation of some of these plans which has seen its brand value improve since the new executive management took
He said, “we have already started taking baby steps toward this vision we have defined, and we have observed a tremendous surge in value and capital appreciation on the NGX. If I’m not mistaken, DAAR’s price has appreciated at least 600-750% since the decision to exit our retired management staff was made—so we know where we are going, but we are still only just scratching the surface”
