Imo, Lagos, Delta, Ekiti, Shell, Access Bank, NASENI join GOCOP conference partners

The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has announced the addition of the state governments of Imo, Lagos, Delta and Ekiti, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Access Bank Plc and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to the list of partners for its 10th annual conference.

The conference begins on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, 38 to 40 Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The first day will feature a presentation by Max Amuchie, publisher of Sundiata Post, on “The Sundiata Post Model: Building the African Newsroom for the Long Term.”

This will be followed by a presentation on “AI and Prompt Engineering for Online Publishing” by Biodun Durojaiye, Publisher of The Lagos Times.

The final presentation will be “Monetizing the Digital Media Business” by Dr. Monday Ashibogwu, Publisher of Quick News.

The presentations will be followed by a lunch with GOCOP partners, while the association’s Annual General Meeting will conclude the day.

The second day of the conference, Thursday 8 October, will focus on the theme “Elections 2027: shared trust, transparency and responsibility”.

The President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, will deliver the keynote address, while Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, founding partner of Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), will chair the session.

The panel will include CP Abayomi Shogunle, Commissioner of Police, Election Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Prof. Tayo Popoola, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos; Adaora Onyechere Sydney Jack, creative director of Gender Agenda and founder of WEWE Network Afrique; and Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the International Press Center.

Speaking before the conference, GOCOP Vice President and Chairman of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee, Olumide Iyanda, said preparations had been concluded.

“Everything is ready for our 10th anniversary conference. We are delighted that the Lagos State Government, Imo State Government, Delta State Government and Ekiti State Government, as well as Access Bank, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, and NASENI, Nigeria’s leading agency promoting indigenous technology and industrial innovation, have joined our long list of sponsors. Their support underlines the importance of the dialogue we are convening,” Iyanda said.

The new partners join those previously announced, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Nigeria Customs Service, Dangote Group, Seplat Energy, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bank of Industry (BoI), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), TAJBank, Emadeb Energy, Setraco Nigeria Limited, Sovereign Trust Insurance and Nestlé Nigeria Plc.

Iyanda thanked all sponsors and partners for their support, stressing that their contributions would help GOCOP sustain its conference as a platform for engagement on professional journalism, democracy and national development.

GOCOP is a corporate membership organization of 127 corporate online publishers in Nigeria. The annual Conference, now in its tenth year, brings together media executives, politicians, academics, business leaders, civil society representatives and other stakeholders to discuss issues of national importance.

*Signed:
Mrs. Kemi Yesufu
Advertising secretary
Guild of Online Business Publishers (GOCOP)