Twenty Fellows, Immersive Experiences and the Six-month Odyssey of MTN Media Innovation Program-3

As the six months MTN Media Innovation Programme, MIP-3 winds down today, Friday, November 29, 2024, at the School of Media and Communication, SMC, of the Pan Atlantic University, PAU, Chiemelie Ezeobi, who is also a fellow, takes a trip down memory lane of the trajectory that led to the life and career-changing experience the 20 fellows of the third cohort had. From the numerous lectures taught by over 20 experts and lecturers to the practical presentations, as well as an immersive study tour to South Africa, where they amongst other things, also interviewed a foremost Pan-Africanist, Thabo Mbeki, the fellows have indeed been equipped and transformed to take advantage of technology and innovation to tell stories that needed to be told

As the fourth estate of the realm, the media is charged with the all important responsibility of holding the nation to account while driving the flow of credible information.

Recognising this very crucial role, MTN Nigeria, an ICT and Telecommunications giant, set the wheels in motion to 

foster innovation and development, as well as to transform and empower media practitioners to take advantage of technology and innovation to do their jobs better and tell stories that needed to be told.

Birth of Media Innovation Programme 

The vehicle used to champion this life-changing training is the Media Innovation Programme (MIP). 

Over the past three years, MTN has sponsored 60 journalists and six media practitioners, creating lasting impact through the MIP. This they have done in partnership with the School of Media and Communication (SMC) of the Pan Atlantic University (PAU) as a fully funded residential fellowship.

Now in its third season, the six-week long fellowship spread across six months for selected media practitioners in the Nigerian space has increased their knowledge and skill base and helped them understand the changing media landscape, and how to effectively use technology to create impactful media content.

The Fellows

The MIP-3 cohort include Chioma Chukwuemeka, Lead News, Sapientia International Media Centre; Anthony Obakeye, Producer/Reporter, CNBC Africa; Pius Chidiebere, Anchor, Signature Television; Oluwadunsin Sanya, Head of Editorial and Innovation, BellaNaija; and Chiemelie Ezeobi, Group Features Editor, THISDAY Newspaper.

Others include Nkechi Ogbonna, Senior Journalist Reporter, West Africa, BBC, West Africa; Blessing Agbeetan, Assistant Prog Manager, Women Radio 91.7 FM; and Aigbe Augustus, OAP/Producer, Cool FM.

 Stephen Angbulu, State House Correspondent, Punch Newspapers; Raahman Toheeb, Editor-in-Chief, Legit NG; Juliet Tontoye Pere-ere, General Manager/Broadcaster, Royals Roots FM; Ebunoluwa Dosunmu, Content Creator; and Ayodele Ayokunle, Managing Director, Rock FM Jalingo and Taraba Truth are also part of the cohort three. 

Not left out are Oluwatomisin Amokeoja, Staff Writer, Forbes Africa; Moninkanola Ogidan, News Anchor/Editor/Presenter, Adaba FM; Johnstone Kpilaakaa, HumanAngle; Nifemi Oguntoye, Deputy Head of Presentation, TVC Communications; Prince Osuagwu, ICT Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; Omonike Babatunde, Broadcaster, Bright Broadcasting Ltd; and Lucas Ajanaku, Assistant Business/Head, ICT Desk, The Nation Newspapers.

The Six MIP-3 Weeks in Focus 

Week 1 in May began with Culture, Society and the Media by Dr. Richard Ikiebe, who also handled the thorny Ethical Issues for Media Practitioners;  The Concept of Innovation and its Imperatives for Media Practitioners by  taken by Mr. Frank Aigbogun; Introduction to Entrepreneurship: Principles and Practices 1-3 by Dr. Peter Bamkole; Management Principles and Practices by Dr. Nkem Iheanachor; Branding and Etiquette for Media Practitioners by Dr. Ruth Oji; Media Laws: Principles and Practices Presentation/Interactive Session by Barr. Tomi Vincent; and Taxation, Business Policies and Regulations by Dr. Olusegun Vincent.

Week 2 in June began with ICT and the Media: The Necessary Convergence by  Dr. Sola Oni; Sensationalism, Fake News & New Media Tools for Media

Practitioners by Dr. Ijeoma Onyeator; Revenue Models: Building a Tech Stack and Optimising Ad Revenue by Nini Eze; Corporate Communication Management Strategies by Mr. Funso Aina; Creativity and Innovation by Dr. Chike Mgbeadichie; Dressing Habit by representative of 

Dr. Ikechukwu Obiaya; Graphic Design for Media Practitioners by Mr. Kenneth Esere; MTN Foundation, by the CEO, Mrs. Odunayo Sanya; and New Media, Content Creation and Engagement and Developing Innovation Digital Media Skills by Mr. Muyiwa Aleshinloye.

For Week 3 in July, it was Telecoms and ICT Landscape in Nigeria From 2G – 5G and  The Contribution of Telecommunications and ICT Generally to the Nigerian Economy by Ikenna Ikeme; 5G, IoT and the Future of Tech by Ugonwa Nwoye; Blockchain Technology by Shoyinka Shodunke; Opportunities in the VAS space by Aisha Umar Mumuni; AI and the Media by Chukwuebuka Ezewuzie; Property for the Innovative Media Practitioner by Mrs. Ifeoma Utah; The Subscription Business Model and  Business Journalism by Mr. Anthony Osae-Brown; E-commerce: Business and Revenue Models by Dr. Sola Oni; E-Commerce: Business and Revenue Models by Dr. Anne Odoh. The week ended with an immersive experience in Exploring Data-driven Solutions at KPMG by Jumoke Ademola; and Technology and 5G at Huawei by Bruce Jiadong.

Week 4 in August, the fellows tackled Ethical Issues for Media Practitioners by Prof. Juan Elegido; Overview of the Nigerian Economy by Dr. Stanley Nwani; 

Prognosis into the Future of the Nigerian Economy in the Digital Age; Strategic Planning and Strategy Implementation Skills and Investment Decisions: Operations Management by Dr. Emeka Azinge; Emotional Intelligence and Decision Making Process by Dr. Silk Ogbu, as well as the Stakeholder Relations Management Presentation. 

Week 5 in September saw the fellows embark on an eight-day study tour of South Africa. 

In Week 6, it was a bittersweet moment for the fellows as they converged on the school in October to wrap up the six months training. From a tour of the massive MTN Cable Landing Station at Abraham Adesanya to the Switch Centre at Aromire to the MTN Plaza where the fellows finally had a face-to-face meeting with Karl Toriola, the MTN Nigeria CEO, where he highlighted MTN’s ambition, the challenges telcos face, the reason for MTN’s continued investment in MIP and the sustainability of the industry.

Soon afterwards, the fellows explored the Digital Store but not before they exerted some sort of promise that MTN should not rest on its oars in continuing this career-changing programme. 

The fellows also had Advanced Language Skills by Dr. Ruth Oji; Research, Writing and Reporting by Dr. Ikechukwu Obiaya; Project Management, Marketing Research and Research Reporting by Mrs. Yinka Aderoju; while the week ended with project presentation. 

An Immersive South African Experience 

Week 5 gave the fellows an immersive 8-day experience in South Africa. From the first class treatment at the MTN Prestige Lounge at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos to the first visit to MTN Group, the fellows were taken through the Important role of the Media by Thato Motlanthe to MTN Group Sustainability Strategy by Marina Madale; Ambition 2025: Framing our Strategic Priorities, Ethesen Malik, a Media Exhibition followed the tour of the technology hub.

Also, programme Head, African Governance and Diplomacy, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), Steven Gruzd at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg spoke on Assessing the Nigeria- South African Bilateral Relations and the Gains and the Losses as well as Pan-Africanism, Nigeria South Africa Relations. 

​​​ At the MTN Group headquarters, the High Commissioner of Nigeria to the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Ambassador Alexander Ajayi and High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to the Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Ambassador Thami Museleko, charged the media to be innovative while the CEO/Director of the SA/Nigeria Business Chamber, Diana Games recapped the gains made by the bilateral trade by both countries.

In turn, the President of the African Media Forum, Churchill Otieno, who was represented by former Editor-in-Chief of Publications, Sunday Times and City Press, Mathatha Tsedu, charged African  journalists to report Africa for Africa for the world.

Meanwhile, the MTN Media Innovation Summit themed “Sustainability of the Media Business in the Digital Age”, held in conjunction with PAU Nigeria and University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa, dealt on how to sustain the media industry in the ever evolving digital age 

Anchored by Dr Sifiso Minisi, Head, School of Communication, UJ, the Honourable Deputy Minister in the Presidency, HE Keneth Morolong, gave the keynote address and Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Johannesburg, Prof. Letlhokwa Mpedi, spoke on shared commitment to empower media professionals and driving innovation across the industry. 

The first panel on The Concept of Sustainability in Business was chaired by Dr Sanele Gamede with panelists like  Prof. Ylva Rodny-Gumede, Senior Director: Global Engagement; Mr. Godfrey Mutizwa, CNBC Africa; and Mr. Reggy Moalusi, Executive Director, South African National Editors’ Forum 

The second panel on Survival of Media Business in the Digital Age: The South African Perspectives was by Dr Maud Blose, Senior Lecturer, UJ Department of Communication and Media and had panelists like Ms. Nada Wotshela, Group Executive: SABC Radio; Dr. Kate Skinner, Executive Director, Association of Independent Publishers (AIP); Mr. Phillip Mogodi, Jamlab Accelerator Manager; and Ms. Nadia Bulbulia, Executive Director, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

The second panel on Sustainability of Media Business in the Digital Age, the Nigerian Perspective also had our own Stephen Angbulu of the Punch deliver his lecture.

Other lectures include the Evolving Media Landscape in the Era of Social Media, chaired by Lungelo Gumede, UJ, lecturer, Department of Communication and Media with panelists like Prof. Admire Mare – HoD: Communication and Media, UJ; and lecture on Science and Health Communication in Africa, chaired by Dr. Mthobeli Ngcongo, UJ, Senior lecturer, Department of Communication and Media with panelists like Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief and Executive Director, Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism.

 The immersive experience in South Africa was sprinkled with a tour of the MTN Innovation Lab, a tour of the campus as well as the university’s studio where Nifemi Oguntoye held an impromptu panel session with Prince Osuagwu, Chiemelie Ezeobi, Stephen Angbulu and Blessing Agbeetan. The tour also extended to Union Building, the birth place of Mandela in Soweto; and end with a cocktail at the end. The team also visited the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Metro FM.

The fellows were also honoured to have discussed Africa’s Indispensable Bilateral Relations (South Africa & Nigeria) by former President, H.E. Thabo Mbeki, as well as a meeting with MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas. 

Also, they visited Pretoria for a round table discussion on the “Media’s Influence in Shaping Africa’s Indispensable Relationship: Nigeria and South Africa” where 

Deputy Minister in the South African Presidency, Keneth Morolong and Deputy Director-General, Public Diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Clayson Monyela harped on enhancing cultural diplomacy and people-to-people relations through diplomacy. 

Earlier at the visit to Nigerian House in Pretoria, the High Commissioner of Nigeria to the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Ambassador Alexander Ajayi, recounted the long standing relationship between both nations, especially during the apartheid, while stressing why it must be strengthened. 

It Indeed Takes a Village 

As cliche as the saying “It indeed takes a village is,” that axiom certainly rings through for the MIP-3 cohort. From Karl Toriola who signed off on the proposal to Tobe Okigbo, MTN Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, who bought the idea to Funso Aina, Senior Manager, External Relations at MTN Nigeria and Dr. Lakinbofa Goodluck, Public Relations Manager at MTN Nigeria, who both muted the idea, to the South African flank of Ms. Omasan Ogisi,  General Manager, External Relations, MTN Group and Dominic Khumalo, Senior Manager, Strategic Public Affairs, the support of the telecoms group has been immeasurable.

Undoubtedly, PAU rose to the task and executed a seemingly seamless programme guided by Chief Isaac- Ogugua Ezechukwu, Director, Professional Education, SMC alongside Mr. Patrick and Grace, making it a worthwhile experience. 

Most commendable was Samsideen Akano, the  Programme Coordinator, Professional Education, SMC, who was tasked with taking care of the fellows, which he did judiciously. Also in the heart of the fellows are the catering staff including Happiness, who ensured our stomachs received tasty continental meals each day.

Sterling Leadership of the Excos
In these six months, the fellows were not left rudderless as they were led by the sterling leadership of Nifemi Oguntoye as President with support from Juliet Tontoye, Vice President; Blessing Agbeetan, Secretary; and Augustus Aigbe, Social Secretary. 

So for three years, MTN has commendably kept the faith in equipping these media practitioners and innovators with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in a rapidly evolving media landscape and for the fellows, they have undoubtedly been equipped to tell the stories that need to be told, innovatively.