News

Google Empowers Nigerian Newsrooms With Tools To Maximise Ad Revenue, Digital Innovation

Published

10 months ago

July 4, 2025

Editor

Google has concluded two major events in Lagos geared towards equipping Nigerian media professionals with advanced digital tools to drive advertising revenue and newsroom efficiency.

The Google Ad Manager Academy 3.0, held on Friday at the Google office in Ikoyi, Lagos, brought together media practitioners across Sub-Saharan Africa in a hybrid format—both in-person and virtual.

The event focused on helping publishers fully unlock the potential of Google Ad Manager, understand new consumer insights, leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning, and implement yield optimization techniques to boost earnings across mobile and web platforms.

On Tuesday, the company also held Publisher Day NG 2025, featuring a hands-on workshop that introduced participants to Google’s suite of newsroom tools, such as News Consumer Insights 3.0, Gemini for News, NotebookLM, and Pinpoint.

The sessions were designed to demonstrate how these innovations can enhance content research, audience engagement, and ad performance.

Attendees included editors, ad operations specialists, marketing managers, and journalists from leading media houses such as Vanguard, Channels TV, Silverbird TV, The Nation, BusinessDay, Pulse, Dochase among a host of others.

Speaking after the event, Onyinyechi “Nini” Eze, Strategic Partner Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at Google, reflected on the growing interest among Nigerian news organisations in programmatic advertising.

“I think the Google Ad Monetization journey has been interesting for me. I’ve been in Google for three years and we had the Google Ad Manager Academy 3.0, so this would be our third edition. What I found really interesting is the amount of news companies and news agencies that are now coming on board with Ad Monetization, programmatic Ad Monetization,” she said.

“Primarily, you know that the newsroom really adopt more of traditional advertising, but then now, you’ve seen from statistics that 80% is going programmatic. So this is where I find a lot of joy: to see that a lot of news organisations are actually now adopting programmatic advertising, which will potentially increase their yield.”

Asked about how the initiative aligns with Google’s broader vision for Nigeria, Eze said, “If you think about Google’s mission, it’s always about making our content more accessible. So if you think about the news, right? And you think about Google’s mission, it always tally because the news agencies are trying to ensure that they give out credible news, trustworthy news, and then making it accessible to everyone, so that everybody understands what’s going on.”

She emphasised Google’s commitment to supporting both large and small content creators with free tools.

SquirrelPR simplifies press distribution across Africa with launch of content marketplace

“It could be you’re a blog, it could be you’re a small news outfit, but then we want a situation where we can showcase a lot of tools—these tools are free—so you can upskill yourself and then also sustain the news industry, the media industry as well.”

On the tools that stood out to participants, Eze mentioned, “From the Ad Monetization side, we have the Google Ad Manager platform, which is free. We also have AdSense, it’s also a free tool. We have AdMob. Starting your Ad Monetization journey is actually quite easy now. It’s really more about understanding what the tool can do and how it can monetize your platforms.”

She also highlighted tools from Publisher Day, such as News Consumer Insights 3.0, Google Ad Analytics 4, Gemini, and NotebookLM, saying “all these tools can help those news agencies: both small and large to actually sustain themselves and grow.”

Looking ahead to future editions and ongoing support, Eze said, “Google mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. This tally’s with the general news industry goals to drive credible, trustworthy news, making accessible to everyone. Google aims to support the media industry through its technologies and innovation to achieve their goals.”

News

Transfer: Premier League Clubs Scramble For Dele-Bashiru

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

Lazio midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is a subject of interest from three Premier League clubs, according to Sky Sports.

Lazio reportedly rejected offers from Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth for the Nigeria international in January.

La Biancolesti are bracing for more interest in Dele-Bashiru ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports.

The 24-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Serie A club.

The attacking midfielder joined the Rome-based club from Turkish Super Lig outfit Hatayspor in 2024.

He has been a regular feature for Lazio this season.

News

Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Students To Picket MTN, MultiChoice, Other Businesses

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS South-West Zone D, has announced plans to picket South African companies in Nigeria following the ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

DAILY POST reports that some Nigerians were recently killed in South Africa over the violent attacks.

A statement issued to newsmen by Comrade Adeyemo Josiah Kayode, Coordinator, NANS South-West, Zone D, said that the association is mobilizing to take decisive and lawful action by organizing peaceful picketing and mass advocacy against South African business interests operating in Nigeria.

“We categorically state that the continued targeting of Nigerians under any guise is unacceptable and must come to an immediate end.

“This will include major corporations such as MTN Group and MultiChoice Group. It is morally indefensible for businesses to thrive in an environment where the lives of Nigerians are protected, while Nigerians are subjected to fear and violence elsewhere.

“This contradiction will no longer be tolerated,” the statement said.

News

N5m, N10m Zero-interest Loans: SheVentures Opens Applications For Women Entrepreneurs

Published

5 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Editor

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has opened a new round of applications for its SheVentures proposition, offering zero-interest loans of up to ₦10 million to women entrepreneurs to ease access to working capital and support business growth.

The facility provides loans ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦5 million under a general category, and ₦5 million to ₦10 million for sector-specific businesses, with funding capped at up to 50% of an applicant’s average monthly turnover.

At the centre of the offering is a 0% interest rate, with all charges embedded in a transparent structure.

Repayment is structured over four or six months, allowing businesses to match obligations with their cash flow cycles.

Yemisi Edun, Managing Director and Chief Executive of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), said the initiative reflects a deliberate approach to inclusive growth.

“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively.

“Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.

This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs.”

“Access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs,” said Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo, Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

“By removing the cost barrier and offering quick, flexible funding, this zero-interest loan is designed to safeguard existing jobs, enable businesses to invest in growth initiatives, and foster resilience in challenging economic conditions.”

Women-owned businesses account for a significant share of Nigeria’s small and medium-sized enterprises but continue to face high borrowing costs and limited access to credit.

Through these efforts, SheVentures tackles persistent financing gaps facing women-led businesses, combining targeted funding with broader support to empower women entrepreneurs, encourage business innovation, and enhance their ability to compete on a national scale.

Applications for the zero-interest loan are now open.Apply now.