The growth and development of African media studies: perspectives from Nigeria

Abstract

The paper discusses how Nigerian journalism education has been heavily influenced by the American model. Nigeria, being a former British colony, at first followed British models of vocational training in journalism. This is evident in the fact that the country's universities did not initially embrace journalism and mass communication studies. Formal university-level training in journalism only started in Nigeria in 1962, with the establishment of Jackson College of Journalism at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The college later developed into the Department of Mass Communication. Other departments/schools of journalism or mass communication have sprung up at various Nigerian universities, notably that of the University of Lagos. In the past few years, there has been an upsurge in the number of mass communication programmes across the country. The programmes, apart from journalism, offer courses in broadcasting, public relations and advertising, among other areas. The paper also discusses how contemporary postcolonial Nigerian media education has achieved a large degree of uniformity in all the programmes as a result of initiatives taken by Nigeria's National Universities Commission.