Communication experts are advocating the inclusion of another people to represent People in the Public Private Partnership PPP acronym to form 4Ps of P4 or PPPP.

This was the consensus opinion of communication experts who gathered at the 11th edition of the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) Annual Marketing Conference held on Friday, December 15, 2023 at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, South West Nigeria.

With the theme Public Private Partnership: Infrasctructural Development Strategy for Government, Communities and Brands”, the event had Dr. Olajumoke Akiode, the chief speaker and convener of Women in Infrastructure Community Africa (WICA) noting that effective communication among the stakeholders is critical to fostering successful Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and promoting infrastructural development.

She opined that lack of effective communication has been a contributing factor leading to communities resisting some government initiatives. According to Dr. Akiode, PPPs can be a powerful mechanism for driving development when executed effectively.

As Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is collaboration between the public and private sectors aimed at delivering a project or service traditionally provided by the public sector, she stressed the need to actively involve communities in PPP projects to instill a sense of ownership. “When a community is engaged in a project, they own the project and protect it. They adopt the ‘it’s our project’ strategy,” she remarked.

Additionally, she highlighted the importance of future-proofing PPP plans to avoid unnecessary changes and advocated for resilience planning strategies that accommodate future events and changes, ensuring that infrastructure facilities do not become prematurely obsolete.

According to Dr. Akiode, PPP is a strategic approach to infrastructure development for both the government and the community, and it should be embraced for sustainable development. Explaining why the government needs PPP, she mentioned the substantial infrastructural deficit that the government must address for the well-being of the people. PPPs leverage the expertise and existing opportunities of the private sector while the government contributes its existing infrastructure to make these partnerships effective.

The event also had a panel session with Mrs Sola Salako-Ajulo; Member Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal, Godfrey Adejumoh, Head Corporate Communications & Sustainable Business, Unilever; and Adeola Kayode, Head of Brands and Creative Service, 9Mobile in attendance

Furthermore, the event featured the presentation of awards to deserving individuals and brands in recognition of their notable contributions to the marketing communications industry and the public.

Steve Babaeko was honored as the Practitioner of the Year, Chris Wulff-Caeser was acknowledged as the Marketing Director of the Year, Access Bank received the Sustainability Program of the Year award, Airtel Nigeria was named Telecoms Company of the Year, and Fayrouz was crowned Soft Drink of the Year. Other awardees included FCCPC, which secured the Regulator of the Year award, Teksite recognized as PR Agency of the Year, Crystal Communications named OOH Company of the Year and Indomie as Brand of the Year

BOVAS received the Most Customer-Friendly Company award, Digitas was named Digital Agency of the Year, and Maxx Connection was recognized as the Experiential Agency of the Year. Ogilvy earned the title of Creative Agency of the Year, WAW was awarded Detergent of the Year, Francis Ilesanmi (BOVAS) was honored as Business Development Manager of the Year, and Trophy secured the Alcoholic Beverage of the Year accolade. Terra emerged as Seasoning of the Year, and Digisplash was crowned Best Young Digital Agency of the Year.

Speaking on the awards, the Chairman of BJAN, Clara Okoro, said the jurors did a painstaking analysis of reports on brands, organizations and agencies and accomplishments of various practitioners in Nigeria in the year under review, and those awarded are truly deserving of the awards.