A big boost for public relations practice began Friday when the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, FCT Chapter signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Drawbridge Communication Management Ltd.
The deal will enlarge the public relations ecosystem in the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring states, said Chapter Chairman, Stanley Ogadigo.
“The MoU will be a stepping stone towards bridging current manpower gap, especially in the area of public relations consultancy in the nation’s capital”, Ogadigo explained.
Describing the partnership as innovative initiative for greater value addition to society, he emphasised that organisations in FCT will now have an array of options to explore in sourcing qualified manpower to address their public relations needs.
“Before now, it has always been a question of those in need of public relations services going outside Abuja to source for consultants. But now, we are saying we have a pool of qualified professionals around and time has come to put them to task. With this MoU, we are encouraging quality consultancy services, establishment of more public relations firms and effective collaboration to ensure that the PR needs of organisations, both public and private within the FCT are met”, he noted.
He also expressed optimism that the new deal with Drawbridge Communication Management Company will also help in building a system that will provide mentorship to young professionals, quality training to those already in the PR field and help prospective consultants in setting up public relations consultancy firms.
The CEO, Drawbridge Communication, Hassan Abdul said the project will leverage the huge potentials in the field of public relations to create job opportunities in the FCT and environs, adding that availability of quality professionals will boost the confidence of clients.
“If we have a large number of firms in the profession that offer quality services to clients, it will create the paradigm shift we are looking for and it will let people know that they do not need to move outside Abuja to get qualified PR consultants”, he stated.
The Chairman of Projects and Partnerships Committee of the NIPR-FCT, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan said the partnership offers opportunity to those intending to go into PR consultancy in Abuja to enlist for training that will sharpen their skills to render satisfactory services to clients.
Dr. Ibietan who doubles as the Secretary-General of African Public Relations Association, said the partnership will bring to an end, the era of exporting jobs out of Abuja and reposition FCT as a hub for PR consultancy.
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