The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has partnered a public relations firm, Bruit Costaud as part of efforts to enhance strategic communication, policy advocacy and research.
The collaboration between the duo organisations was officially announced when the Director General of NIPPS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, paid a courtesy visit to the former minister of information and culture, and Managing Partner, Bruit Costaud, Lai Mohammed on Monday in Abuja.
Mohammed said as NIPSS is strongly positioned as a policy think tank specifically focused on nation building through effective policy making, the PR firm is Nigeria’s frontier strategic policy advisory and corporate diplomacy bringing together high-level officials from the government and private sector including former diplomats, ex-ministers, and seasoned corporate diplomacy experts.
He explained that the firm was set up to support both private and non-profit organisations as they navigate complex policy landscapes and regulatory bottlenecks across African countries, especially Nigeria.
Mohammed stressed that the firm also provide strategic counsel to institutions on interactions and partnerships with government entities; and provide strategic in-roads for actors at national and sub-national levels of the government.
He added: “Collaborative Opportunities: Due to the pivotal role of NIPSS in public policy formulation, our firm, which centers around public policy advisory and advocacy, can partner with NIPSS to push for the implementation of some of your policies. We can serve as the bridge between NIPSS and the government.
“We also stand to benefit from some of the far-reaching research carried out by NIPSS to further strengthen our position as a public policy advisory firm.”
Mohammed explained that the firm would want to explore the following areas for collaboration with NIPSS, including Research: Joint research projects on policy issues of national and strategic importance; Sharing of research data and resources for in-depth analysis, among others.
Responding, Omotayo said the partnership move would not only advance the interest of both organisations, but would be an avenue to fix undeserving realities of Nigeria.
His words: “We have no choice but to key into what your company has set out to achieve. I want to assure you that NIPPS does not have a closed door. When you come, our gates are always shut, shut because of security reasons and for access control that is necessary in such an area where we are.
“So we have looked at what Bruit Costaud does and I’m sure that there are several areas even beyond what you are trying to do so we can collaborate and work together on.”