NIMN, LBS in Strategic Partnership to Drive Thought Leadership, Ethical Business, Research, Growth

Thought leadership, research, and ethical business practices are the fulcrums of industry and by extension national development, the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMMN) and the prestigious Lagos Busines School’s Pan-Atlantic University have signed a strategic partnership agreement to work together to enhance the practice.

Speaking at the official take-off of the partnership at the NIMN office in Lagos, the President and Chairman-in-council, NIMN , Mr. Idorenyen Enang explained that the current fabrics of the Chapter system are not adding value hence the need to review and form new workable and value-adding strategic partnerships and alignments for the benefits of the practice and practitioners.

The current strategic alignment with LBS Pan-Atlantic University, according to the NIMN president is part of the institute’s plans to promote thought leadership, professional ethics as well as foster capacity building that will improve the marketability of professionals locally and internationally and reposition the institute.

“Partnering with a notable body that has national relevance such as the LBS, will help reposition and redefine the value proposition of the Institute in promoting professional ethics. It will also boost capacity building and facilitate both local and international certification for its members”, said the President.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Uchenna Uzo, Professor of Marketing, Pan-Atlantic University explained that the field of marketing is at the cusp of change/explosion positively. “In this change are hidden opportunities to encourage right training, thought leadership, capacity development, and research to ensure it assists in solving challenges”

For the University Chief, capacity development programmes which include masterclasses, certifications, profiling programmes, and research can be better achieved through strong partnerships than going it alone, Prof. enthused.

Also speaking on how the partnership will transform marketing in Nigeria, Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe, the Chief Marketing Officer of LBS and fellow, NIMN, while affirming that everything we do sits on marketing added, “The partnership is a perfect fit. This is driving professionalism and ethical ways of doing business”.

According to Ogedi-Alakwe, the much talked about “Jappa” syndrome can be a boost to diaspora investment d depending on how the industry is positioned. She believes that better and brighter days are ahead for the practitioners and members of the institute especially.

Making further clarifications, the NIMN President said the essence of the partnership is to enhance the value of the marketing eco-system through loads of master classes, symposia, lectures, training and mentorships. “The essence is to create a calendar within the marketing construct as it were, a lot of young minds are doing stuff on their own without the privilege of proper professional training. This will provide the needed opportunities for rounded training”.

With the faculty cutting across the town and gown, Technology, Ethical leadership, and Intellectual Property among other professional and topical issues will form part of the Master Classes, Executive Roundtables, and other training programmes.

It is expected that through the partnership, marketers of Nigeria/ African descent will be able to impact back home in a forum where they would see things differently.

The SMEs being the engine drivers of every economy, have enormous benefits to gain. The president highlighted, “They need to build up their trenches. They need to start seeing themselves as marketers in business. The starting point is to join the fold and access the entire learning process as the arrangement will further democratise knowledge level of marketing”.

Prof Uchenna underscoring the research aspect of the partnership noted, “The power of research is going to be full. It will help in solution-driven marketing as data will guide us. It will also help entrepreneurs to have data-centric management.

“Many people in Nigeria, I mean around the world, talk about corruption and how this thing is eating deep into the fabric of our economy. But we need to build ethical leaders across all sectors. LBS is built on ethics. Because we believe when you start making decisions from an ethical point of view, you make the right decisions. Ethics drives sustainability in business, in life, in family life, and in everything you do. So, in this partnership we project, in addition to thought leadership, we project ethical leadership,” Nsima noted.

She also noted that as marketing cuts across all facets of life, “If you’re practicing marketing outside NIMN you’re breaking the law (Act 25 of 2003) which set up the institute. In the spirit of continuous development, you cannot stay static.

To withstand the VUCA environment, she counseled marketers and entrepreneurs to ensure continuous training and retraining taking advantage of the NIMN / LBS platform.

The president revealed that NIMN is poised to ensure that its members have what it takes to stand on the global map through the signing of various partnerships with concerned stakeholders.

“We are in different spaces and all of that is happening because it is important for us to drive the currency of the now, which is collaboration. Collaboration is the currency of the now and that’s what we are happy about. I look forward to an environment in five years’ time where you are going to see the product of all that we’re doing now. We have strategic partnerships with not just Lagos Business School but with also Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). Beyond that, we are in the process of collaborating with the Chatham Islands Marketing of UK and several others,” he said.