AREWA24, West Africa’s leading 24/7 Hausa-language entertainment and lifestyle television network and production studio, has announced a major leadership transition as it enters its second decade of operations.
Founded in 2014, AREWA24 is the leading Hausa-language entertainment network in West Africa. It reaches over 45 million viewers with original content reflecting North Nigerian culture, lifestyle, and the broader Sahel region. Its programming is available via major pay-TV platforms and globally through its digital streaming service, AREWA24 On Demand.
Celestine Umeibe, the company’s current Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer, has been appointed CEO. He will take over from founding CEO Jacob Arback, who will move into the newly established role of Executive Vice Chairman. Umeibe will retain oversight of commercial sales operations alongside his new responsibilities.
Reflecting on the leadership change, Umeibe attributed Arback’s enduring impact on the organization.
“Jacob Arback played a pivotal role in the remarkable success story of AREWA24 over the past decade,” said Umeibe. “His inclusive leadership style guided the network through the typical challenges faced by start-ups—especially in this region—and helped establish AREWA24 as a cultural and media force. His new role as Executive Vice Chairman is fitting and strategic, and I look forward to continuing our journey together.”
Arback, who has led AREWA24 since its launch in 2014, endorsed Umeibe as the ideal choice to lead the network into its next phase.
“Celestine brings a powerful combination of leadership, commercial expertise, and deep industry knowledge,” Arback said. “From day one, he has passionately embraced AREWA24’s mission—to reflect and celebrate the richness of Hausa culture and language. The board and I are confident he will successfully guide the company’s growth and impact across the continent and beyond.”
With over a decade at AREWA24 and previous executive roles at StartTimes and TVC, Umeibe brings extensive experience and strategic vision. As CEO, he will drive creative tech integration, digital expansion, and new revenue models to elevate AREWA24’s Pan-African media presence.
AREWA24 and its production arm, AREWA24 Productions, was launched in 2014 to fill a glaring void of authentic, locally produced, and high-quality Hausa language entertainment and lifestyle programming that reflects pride in Northern Nigerian life, culture, music, film, art, cooking, and sports. Today, AREWA24 reaches 45+ million Hausa speakers in Nigeria and West Africa through its free-to-air broadcast on Eutelsat satellite, on the StarTimes PayTV bouquet (channel#138), the two Multichoice PayTV platforms, DStv (channel #261) and GOtv (channel #136), and on the Canal+ PayTV service (channel #297) in Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo. AREWA24 benefits from active audience engagement across its digital platforms at www.AREWA24.COM, www.facebook.com/AREWA24, and Instagram.com/AREWA24channel. AREWA24 also operates a global streaming service, AREWA24 On Demand, in partnership with Vimeo. To subscribe to the global streaming service AREWA24 ON DEMAND, go to http://tv.arewa24.com or download the app from the iOS App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, Roku Channel Store, or Amazon Fire TV.
For additional information, please contact: info@arewa24.com
