Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A)’s Post

Public affairs professionals are tasked with one of the most intricate challenges in corporate Nigeria: balancing the interests of private organisations with the often-mercurial policies, regulations, and socio-political dynamics of the country. In recent discussions held at the sidelines of national economic dialogue by a prominent think tank, corporate affairs and communications directors dissected current threats facing the public affairs profession, offering insight into the pressing risks that professionals must address.  Read more: https://lnkd.in/dKBtrZRr

30 years since the dawn of democracy, the challenges we face as a country, need collective action. Corporate South Africa has a role to play in the transformation we need to move our nation forward. Our 2024 #SanlamBenchmark research highlights key issues and strategies to meet the needs of our people, to enable us to accelerate a better working South Africa. 

A few days ago, we hosted a stakeholder dialogue on the impact of foreign influence on Nigeria's democratic values. In an interview with Arise News at the Conference, our Programme Director, Femi Amele, urged both civil society organizations (CSOs) and the governments to utilise insights from our research and discussions for actionable steps. You can watch the full video on our YouTube page: https://lnkd.in/dQPkWXBf To learn more about foreign influence in Nigeria, check out our data-driven publications here: https://lnkd.in/dz2VB8nH #DataforDevelopment #StakeholderDialogue #PolicyInsights #ForiegnInfluence #NigeriaDemocracy

I recently worked with two of my teachers Olubunmi Ajibade,PhD and Dr. Soji Alabi on disinformation as a public communication strategy. Literature researched to write the paper showed that governments the world over dabble into occasionally or habitually (depending on where you look) blurring the facts in communicating with the citizenry. However, with the democratisation of media access because of emerging technologies, this approach is unsustainable and accounts for the low trust in governments (and their functionaries) globally, especially in most developing countries , including Nigeria. While there is the need to balance national security concerns, public interest and political exegencies in information sharing, government spokespeople need to wake up to the reality of the times: the citizenry are largely more well-informed than they ever used to be. Thus, evidence-based, solutions-oriented, citizen-centric communication is the present and the future, if governments - including those, who, like Nigeria's, are implementing painful reforms - will enjoy the trust of the governed that is needed for government policies to thrive. The publication is due for release in July #Disinformation #citizenengagement #GovernmentInformationSharing #PublicRelations

One very vital element in communications, especially when it has to do with public communications, policy planning and communications, or political communications, is the fact that we are all in the business of marketing trust and it is paramount to always be aware of what we say, and be sure it is matched up with the appropriate action. 💥 We will be discussing key issues that concern proper methods and processes involved in communicating with the public on the 18th of July, 2024, during our CPDSO-Accredited SA&A Public Sector, Policy & Political Communications Course. 💥 During this course, we will also showcase best practises from Nigeria/Africa and teach how to leverage on contemporary digital and storytelling practises to effectively communicate with diverse audiences, and also standard pathways on how to bridge the gap between government and citizenry; demonstrating how to mitigate issues and crisis. 💥 Are you a PR, Media, Communications Officer, Leader, Practitioner or Consultant working in the public sector or public policymaking/implementation context in Nigeria or Africa? Then this course may be for you. ✨ Enrolment for this course is currently ongoing, and registration ends on the 16th of July, 2024. ✨ To register for this course, please click here:https://lnkd.in/ddVE5sBg #communications #business #africa

In this video, take a look at the status of implementation of the right of #accesstoinformation in #Africa. How African citizens can gain improved access to important public records such as legal documents, business licenses, health-related resources, data around services delivery and so on. We also take a close look at why access to information plays such a critical role in everything we do and how it can empower us as individuals. https://zurl.co/562a

Sponsored: Good Governance Africa, in partnership with the Mail & Guardian, is hosting the third seminar on the SA 2020 Scenarios Project. In this webinar, the youth are called to provide their point of view on South Africa, its politics, and what they want for their future. Register for the webinar: https://t.ly/imBd3

🌍 Recently, our very own Dr Leanne Cochrane travelled to West Africa to share her expertise in crisis communications with public leaders in Liberia and Gambia. 🤝 Working in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Leanne delivered simulations aimed at strengthening democratic approaches to crisis response in the region. The simulations, structured around NDI's forthcoming Guide to Crisis Communications developed by Trilateral, were held across two days in each country. They brought together diverse public leaders to consider crisis communication through key democratic principles and discuss actions to take at each stage of a crisis. In this blog post from Sean Travers, we explain the key takeaways from the simulations, such as: 👉 Building trust with communities is essential for effective crisis communication 👉 Creating clear, concise messaging helps prevent misinformation from spreading 👉 Educating the public on crisis causes empowers them to take preventive measures We would like to thank all the participants who contributed to the rich discussions and shared their valuable insights. The NDI and Trilateral will showcase the benefits of the democratic approach at an online launch event later this year, after which the Crisis Communication Guide will be freely available in English, French and Spanish. A special thank you to: Dr Victoria Ann Hasson for leading NDI’s work on the project, Mahzouba Maya Faal for participating and sharing photos, and TRI colleagues Selby Knudsen and Dr Susan Anson for their authorship on the Guide. Read the full article to learn more about Leanne's work and how Trilateral is helping organisations in West Africa strengthen their crisis communication strategies: https://lnkd.in/e3AtJi8D #CrisisCommunication #Democracy #WestAfrica #CivilSociety

Check out this insightful report on the current challenges and needs faced by the media in Nigeria, highlighting, in particular, the influence of hate speech and dehumanization on continued violence in the country. Special thanks to Internews and Arwen Kidd for incorporating Beyond Conflict's research on the role of dehumanization and threat perception in inter-religious conflict in northern Nigeria as one part of this important conversation. 📖 Read the full Internews report here: https://lnkd.in/ekwbpcf3 📍 Learn more about Beyond Conflict's media interventions in Nigeria here: https://lnkd.in/e7hYz8hv

#Goodgovernance is critical. Join a discussion about good governance in cities and towns in #Africa. Aug 21, 2024. Register today! @PIMDNOW https://lnkd.in/evpbK369