ARCON, APAK Mobilise Media Stakeholders Ahead of Northern Advertising Summit

By Zakariyya Aliyu Gwaram

Northern Region Advertising and Marketing Communications Limited has paid an advocacy visit to Albarka Radio, Bauchi, as part of preparations for the forthcoming Regional Summit on Advertising and Marketing Communications scheduled to hold later this year.

The delegation was led by the Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Association, Kano (APAK), Mr. Sammani Shariff Bashir, who said the visit was aimed at mobilising key media stakeholders across the Northern region ahead of the strategic industry gathering.

Mr. Bashir explained that the advocacy became necessary due to shared challenges confronting broadcasting and advertising operators in the North, including dwindling revenues, cultural and traditional constraints, and increasing competition among media organisations. He noted that the rapid growth in the number of media houses has intensified competition, citing Kano State where about 30 new media organisations have recently emerged, many operating in what he described as a “survival-of-the-fittest environment.”

According to him, the summit is being organised in collaboration with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), with the support of the National Orientation Agency (NOA). He added that engagements with media organisations such as Albarka Radio also provide opportunities for stakeholders to share experiences and propose practical solutions to the region’s advertising and marketing challenges.

Also speaking, the North Zonal Director of ARCON, Mallam Ahmad Yelwa, urged media organisations in Bauchi State to accord the summit the attention it deserves and ensure active participation. He stressed that collective action remains the most effective means of addressing industry challenges and promoting sustainable growth in advertising and marketing communications.

In his response, the Managing Director of Albarka Radio, Malam Umar Ladan Salihu, appreciated the delegation for the visit and reaffirmed the station’s long-standing collaboration with ARCON’s Bauchi State chapter, particularly in providing free airtime for public awareness campaigns. He described the summit as a vital platform for strengthening partnerships, enhancing revenue generation, and simplifying advertising and marketing processes across the Northern region.

The Regional Summit, themed “Reinvigorating the Advertising Business in the North: Issues, Challenges, and Prospects,” is scheduled to hold from April 28 to 30, 2026. It is expected to bring together regulators, agency executives, media proprietors, brand custodians, academics, and marketing professionals to deliberate on declining media revenues, outstanding debts, digital disruption, unprofessional practices, policy concerns, changing consumer behaviour, and emerging opportunities in digital transformation and local content development.

Participation attracts a registration fee of N150,000 for early bird registration from February 1 to March 15; N175,000 for standard registration from March 16 to April 15; and N200,000 for late registration from April 16 up to the event date.

Organisers described the summit as a collective opportunity to reshape, strengthen, and reposition the advertising and media industry in Northern Nigeria for sustainable growth and renewed professionalism.