The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON has announced plans to present proposals for a new regulatory framework for digital advertising and artificial intelligence at the sixth National Advertising Conference, NAC.
Chairman of the NAC 2026 Planning Committee, Tunji Adeyinka, made this known at a media briefing ahead of the conference, scheduled for November 11 to 13 at the Abuja Continental Hotel with the theme:”Repositioning the Marketing Communication Industry for the Next Frotier.”
According to him, the proposals, which are being developed by a cross-functional industry committee working with ARCON and other stakeholders, are expected to move beyond discussions to provide practical recommendations for regulating emerging technologies in Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.
Adeyinka said the committee had been working for several months on the challenges posed by digital advertising and artificial intelligence, with the aim of developing an amended model for regulation.
He noted that the recommendations will be discussed with ARCON and other key stakeholders before being presented at the conference, with the organisers seeking an agreed action plan rather than another round of industry discussions.
Adeyinka said a second committee was also examining the implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the marketing communications industry, with plans to present its findings and proposed action plan at the conference.
He said NAC had deliberately positioned itself as an advocacy platform capable of driving changes in the industry rather than becoming another forum for talks without implementation.
“This year, we want to tackle some of the challenges standing in the way of making critical progress,” he said.
Adeyinka said the rollout of the DeepMove Meter for television advertising measurement would also feature prominently, with the industry expected to examine early data and insights from the new audience measurement system.
He added that the National Advertising Conference would host discussions on data protection, particularly the obligations of businesses that collect and process consumer data under Nigeria’s evolving regulatory framework.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, who was represented at the briefing by the Head of Regulations, Emme Akande, said the conference had grown into an important industry platform.
Fadolapo said the sixth edition is expected to attract at least 700 participants, compared with about 500 recorded at the previous edition.
He urged media organisations to support the conference by creating wider awareness around its discussions and outcomes.
Speaking at the briefing, representatives of sectoral groups stressed the need for the conference to produce solutions to challenges confronting the industry.
President of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria, EXMAN, Tolulope Medebem said the rapid convergence of digital, experiential and other marketing disciplines had made collaboration increasingly important to the industry’s survival and growth.
Meanwhile, President of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria,OAAN, Dr. Sola Akinsiku used the briefing to raise concerns over what he described as excessive government-imposed rates for outdoor political advertising in some states.
He urged the media to investigate and draw attention to the varying charges imposed by state governments, arguing that the costs could make political campaigning increasingly difficult for candidates.
He said the rapid pace of technological change also made the theme of NAC 2026 relevant, noting that technologies considered cutting-edge today could become obsolete within a few years.
The conference will open with a fireside chat featuring the Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, followed by sessions on the Nigerian economy and its impact on the marketing communications sector.
Other sessions will focus on chief marketing officers’ perspectives on the future of the industry, media measurement, the informal market, data protection, broadcast digitisation and the relationship between marketing communications and the creative economy.
The conference will also feature a session on language distortion and cultural representation in advertising targeted at audiences in Northern Nigeria, as well as discussions on gender, industry fundamentals and the future of the profession.