Edith CHUKU
Four state governments and key cooperate organizations have thrown their weight behind the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP.
The conference which begins on Wednesday, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos State, has Lagos, Delta, Imo and Ekiti state governments, on the list of partners.
Also on the list are Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Access Bank Plc and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI.
Kemi Yesufu, the Publicity Secretary of GOCOP, a business membership organisation of 127 corporate online publishers in Nigeria, revealed this in a statement on Tuesday.
Yesufu noted that the annual event which would bring together media executives, policymakers, academics, business leaders, civil society representatives and other stakeholders, will focus on issues of national importance.
The event will feature a presentation by Max Amuchie, Publisher of Sundiata Post, on “The Sundiata Post Model: Building the African Newsroom for the Long Term.” on the first day.
It will be followed by a presentation on “AI and Prompt Engineering for Online Publishing” by Biodun Durojaiye, Publisher of The Lagos Times.
The final presentation will be “Monetisation of Digital Media Business” by Dr Monday Ashibogwu, Publisher of Quick News.
The presentations will be followed by lunch with GOCOP partners, while the association’s Annual General Meeting will round off the day.
The second day of the conference, Thursday, October 8, will focus on the theme, “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities.”
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, will deliver the keynote address, while Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Founding Partner of Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), will chair the session.
The panel will feature CP Abayomi Shogunle, Commissioner of Police, Election Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Prof Tayo Popoola, Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos; Adaora Onyechere Sydney Jack, Creative Director of Gender Agenda and Founder of WEWE Network Afrique; and Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Deputy President of GOCOP and Chairman of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee, Mr Olumide Iyanda, said preparations had been concluded.
“All is set for our 10th anniversary conference. We are delighted that the Lagos State Government, the Imo State Government, the Delta State Government and the Ekiti State Government, as well as Access Bank, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, and NASENI, Nigeria’s foremost agency driving indigenous technology and industrial innovation, have joined our long list of sponsors. Their support underscores the importance of the dialogue we are convening,” Iyanda said.
The new partners join those previously announced, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Nigeria Customs Service, Dangote Group, Seplat Energy, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bank of Industry (BoI), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), TAJBank, Emadeb Energy, Setraco Nigeria Limited, Sovereign Trust Insurance and Nestlé Nigeria Plc.
Iyanda thanked all sponsors and partners for their support, noting that their contributions would help GOCOP sustain its conference as a platform for engagement on professional journalism, democracy and national development.
