The Nigerian Government has established a Ministerial Task Force on Digitisation to fast track the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in 2017.
The task force includes the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), signal distributors and set-top box manufacturers, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. In addition, Digital Shift Over Team, Nigeria Customs Service, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) are involved in the project.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) would enable the broadcast of 40 free-to-air channels with enhanced quality. Digitisation would also create economic potential within Nigeria, he added.
The minister urged stakeholders to work toward meeting the digitisation target of 2017 in order for Nigeria to comply with the agreement signed by members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).