C&F Repositions, Starts West African Academy For Business Communication

Leading strategic communication firm C&F Porter Novelli yesterday unveiled its Academy for Business Communication (ABC) for West Africa.

According to the firm, driven by its “Public Relations for Good” mantra, the academy aims to train 25, 000 undergraduates in business communication facets ranging from business strategy, writing, ethics, and leadership. Others include financial literacy, team spirit, as well as research and planning.

In a media briefing on its silver jubilee anniversary, Mr. Tony Ajero, the firm’s managing director and chief executive, explained that the Academy is one of the ways the company is giving back to society after 25 years of privileged service to leading brands across virtually all sectors both nationally and internationally.

“The Academy for Business Communication is borne of two factors. First is the societal challenge arising from the falling education quality which results in less and less equipped graduates. Second is our corporate culture which is built on providing total marketing communications solutions. Hence, we deem it apt to contribute solutions rather than moan about the situation.” Mr. Ajero said the training which will be delivered online is in partnership with senior academia and professionals from its sister companies in the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) group. Furthermore, the best students will then be mentored into and across their careers so they can do the same for succeeding generations.

“C&F has, over the years, been acknowledged as a “University of Public Relations” because its alumni are found across industries in Nigeria and abroad. Additionally, we are a knowledge-driven organisation with year-round robust internship opportunities and the annual Public Relations Fundamentals programme which has produced Management Trainees since 2011,” Mr. Ajero added.

Originally known as Corporate and Financial when it started business in 1997, it took on its current name in 2007 after becoming an affiliate partner of the 60 country-wide Porter Novelli global network. The agency’s brand footprints across Nigeria and West Africa include major campaigns such as managing the passage of the bill to demutualize the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) into the NGX; supporting the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC) in gaining stakeholder contribution to the draft of the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance; and flotation marketing support for the Skyway Aviation Handling Company PLC Initial Public Offer.

It also ushered in the top telecommunication brands: MTN and Etisalat; managed the protracted Trovan clinical trials crisis for Pfizer; and the joint efforts of the Federal Government, and the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DfID-UK) in securing passage of critical financial reform bills, as well as supported the Stanbic-IBTC merger which was Nigeria’s first tender offer.

C&F has also executed brand repositioning and perception campaigns for such major consumer brands as Coca-Cola, Maggi, Pampers, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Malta Guinness and Oral B, among others.