A new media platform, Business Times, BT with focus on business reporting has been introduced into the Nigerian market.
Business Times, registered, which was initiated by some media entrepreneurs, is not associated with the defunct Business Times, a subsidiary of Daily Times. They said their Business Times is registered as a trade mark. However, the new Business Times may leverage the brand legacy of the defunct Business Times.
According to the managers behind the Business Times Newspapers Limited, publishers of the Business Times, the publication will be digital in the first few weeks and later they will introduce print edition of the paper.
Speaking to BusinessDay, Dada Ajai-Ikhile, one of the entrepreneurs behind the initiative, said Business Times Newspapers Limited is a specialised newspaper aimed at who want to get deep insight about business and financial affairs in Nigeria.
He said the medium has not come to compete with any medium in Nigeria or globally but has entered to complement other media publications to deepen journalism.
Ajai-Ikhile further said that the publication is not intended to be antagonistic but celebrate excellence in different aspects of the economy and encourage those who have not gotten to that stage to aspire to go higher in business. “We will deliver business and entrepreneurial information. We want to collaborate with the gown, the academic sector”.
Desmond Esorougwe , visionary entrepreneur with background in media who is also behind the Business Times initiative said their readers “will see the newspaper as a source of news and commentary on the world of finance and business”
He also said that the newspaper which focuses on developmental journalism will go beyond just reporting events but interpreting events. He said the newspaper will concentrate on reporting on positive side of Nigeria, for instance why companies should stay in Nigeria instead of leaving the country.
“For instance, if inflation goes up in Nigeria, we will not report it like that instead we will tell Nigerians what to do to cope with it through expert advice”.
Desmond said the entrepreneurs behind the concept, after studying the Nigerian media eco-system especially business reporting, crafted the newspaper that is not just a source of news, but a tool for understanding the wider trends shaping the business world,
The news platform will officially be launched next week in Lagos as the entrepreneurs are convinced of its acceptability in the competitive media eco-system where online platforms and traditional media are vying for attention. They believe the Nigerian 200 million market is large enough for every player.
