Nigeria has more than 300 broadcasting stations on air, serving more than 150 million people. It is also the home of Nollywood, the wonder film industry that has risen to global reckoning, with the most meagre of resources. It is the gateway to the West African market, and has linkages with all the economic groupings on the continent of Africa, and therefore a gateway.

Africast, which started as a talk-shop in 1996, has continued to grow with every outing, becoming a permanent biennial fixture on the calendars of serious broadcasters from across Africa, who are concerned with articulating Africa’s thoughts and options in the global rat-race of information control. And since the introduction of the exhibition at Africast 98, it has grown steadily.

At Africast 2008, all the 50 exhibition stands, two Ball Rooms and six Activity Rooms were fully taken up by exhibitors of broadcast hardware and services from several African, American, European and Far Eastern countries including China and Japan, displaying the latest digital broadcast equipment in the market. In fact some of the exhibitors brought to Africast the same equipment they exhibited at the recently concluded IBC, in Amsterdam.

All the big players or their representatives were there: Sony, Harris, Elenos, Axcera, JVC, Tomson. But most importantly, the buyers, the decision makers and the policy makers were there animating the show and keeping the exhibitors on their toes.

Surely, every broadcast equipment manufacturer, distributor and vendor would love to have a slice of this budding market!

Where else would you rather be?