Encomium for BusinessDay at 23

 Congratulations to publisher Frank Aigbogun and the BusinessDay team on the 23rd year of publishing on 2 July 2024.

BusinessDay has been significant in the Nigerian media ecosystem.

1.    It was the first business newspaper to publish daily. That frequency was a sea change from the tradition of weekly business newspapers established by Business Times and Business Concord.

2.   It proved the validity and viability of intervention funds managed by credible entrepreneurs. A NERFUND facility enabled Frank to establish Wordsmithes Printing Press and his passion for newspapering and media.

3.   BusinessDay writes business news with felicity. It aggregates and amplifies the news and advocates for business.

4.   BusinessDay has robust community engagement with its Conferences and Policy Intervention series. The series covers various sectors of the economy, bringing together experts and laypeople in a town hall format. It allows consistent engagement with the diverse communities. Those sessions enable all stakeholders to ask the pertinent questions no one else is asking.

5.   Diversified revenue streams ensure stability.

6.   Impactful and relevant content.

7.   There is more to business than hard news of stocks, bonds, and profits. BusinessDay offers engaging human interest narratives.

8.  A broad range of services in news, digital, research, conferences, training, and logistics.

9.   Clearly defined governance structure. A BusinessDay document states: “We may be one of the leading media organisations with a board, a management team, and an editorial advisory board. We are routinely held accountable. We have a board of largely independent directors. We have an editorial advisory board of leading business luminaries and investors who hold the feet of our journalists to the fire at a three-hour session held every month since 2006. We also have a legal advisory board that supports our legal business department and an advisory board for BD Media Foundation apart from the Board of Trustees.

10. They are extending the frontiers into the broader multimedia world with broadcasting.s

Publisher Frank Aigbogun deserves accolades for steadily steering the BusinessDay ship.

Frank Aigbogun is a seasoned journalist and co-founder of BusinessDay newspaper and publisher since 2001. He began his journalism journey at The Guardian and progressed to Vanguard, where he ascended to editor for all newspaper titles. Frank’s career includes a tenure as the Lagos correspondent for the Associated Press (AP).

Frank first studied Mass Communication and is a past president of Lagos Business School’s alum association. Mr Aigbogun was a member of the Vision 2010 committee, which the government assigned to formulate a long-term economic vision for Nigeria. He served as the alternate rapporteur for the subcommittee on competition and deregulation.

Aigbogun has led the paper courageously. He took risks that others feared. For instance, BusinessDay had a paywall based on conviction about its quality offering for some years. The wall came down because of COVID-19. It will return soon with more splendid offerings.

Aigbogun is an engaged citizen willing to commit. He served as president of the Lagos Business School alum association and chaired the elite Banana Island Property Owners & Residents Association. Happy anniversary.