Nigeria launches science-focused TV channel
A new specialised television channel to broadcast scientific information and technological innovations in Nigeria has been launched by the federal government.
The broadcast studio of the Nigerian Science, Technology & Innovation Television (NSTI-TV) was commissioned in the capital Abuja on 11 April, by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora.
NSTI-TV, which will be broadcast in multiple languages including English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, will be available via terrestrial, satellite and internet links in efforts to make the channel easily accessible to the population, federal authorities said.
According to Mamora, the TV channel is to cover all manner of topics related to science, technology, and innovation; notably engineering, scientific heritage, science policy, health and medicine, natural science, environment and wildlife, children’s curiosity, science and society, and agricultural innovations.
The channel will use multiple interactive formats such as documentaries, interviews, demonstrations/experiment shows, game shows, science fiction, and docu-dramas.
Minister Mamora said NSTI-TV will operate with a strong commitment to spreading scientific awareness, especially with Nigerian perspectives, ethos and cultural milieu.
“The station will serve as a veritable platform to inform, educate and entertain as well as publicise scientific discoveries, inventions, and achievements of the various parastatal under the ministry and exchange of ideas, knowledge and skill for the benefit of the common man,” Mamora said.
According to the minister, science, technology and innovation is a key driver and fundamental to the rapid socio-economic development of any nation – Nigeria inclusive.
Describing the new TV channel as ‘a game changer for Nigerians’, Mamora said it will enable the population to better appreciate the relevance of science, technology and innovation in nation building.
For his part, the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh urged Nigerians to watch NSTI-TV programmes to stay abreast of advances and developments in the areas of science, technology and innovation (STI).
He noted that the dedicated TV channel was deployed as part of implementation of the Presidential Executive Order No.5, namely, to assist in establishing STI as part of the everyday life of Nigerians, a move towards achieving the country’s national development goals.
The launch of the specialty TV channel comes at a time when the West African nation is experiencing a tech boom. In the last decade, several tech hubs have sprouted in Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, with many of them driving innovation, supporting collaboration among tech startups, and attracting investors.