Nigeria and Global Alliance Partner to Elevate Public Relations Practice

In a landmark development for the public relations industry in Nigeria, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. This MOU paves the way for the establishment of a degree-awarding academy dedicated to public relations practice in Nigeria.

In another significant milestone, we are pleased to announce the election of Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, a distinguished Nigerian, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA). Dr. Ibietan’s election underscores Nigeria’s growing influence and leadership in the field of public relations across the continent.

Additionally, it is with great satisfaction that we highlight the recent re-designation of public relations as a cadre within the Federal Civil Service, effective December 2023. The Information Officer Cadre has been re-designated to ‘Information and Public Relations Officer Cadre,’ and the Executive Cadre to ‘Executive Officer (Information and Public Relations).’ The NIPR’s pivotal role in championing this change deserves commendation.

Nigeria continues to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice both domestically and across Africa. Recently, during a visit from the President of the African Public Relations Association, Mr. Arik Karani, Nigeria’s efforts were highly commended. Mr. Karani stated, “[Nigeria] was, for the longest time, the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalized public relations. It was Nigeria that started it on the continent, and only last year did Zambia come out with its own law. So now we have two countries on the continent, and only now in Kenya, the bill for professionalizing public relations is at the second reading in Parliament.”

These encouraging remarks reflect the positive trajectory of Nigeria’s public relations industry. The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to providing an enabling environment for all stakeholders within Nigeria’s communications industry to thrive.