NITDA, NIPR hail IMPR for pioneering AI in public relations

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) have commended Image Merchants Promotion (IMPR) Limited for its trailblazing role in deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) for public relations and fostering national intellectual growth through annual lecture and publications.

The commendations were delivered by the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, and NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, during the 3rd Economic Confidential Public Lecture and PRNigeria Book Presentation held in Abuja, attended by policymakers, academics, security chiefs, PR professionals, and digital specialists.

Inuwa praised IMPR for pioneering the use of AI in audience analysis, media monitoring, content automation, event management, and crisis detection. AI, he said, presents Nigeria with a historic opportunity to skip development challenges, as automation could handle up to 30 percent of economic tasks and boost GDP growth by 20 percent. “Nigeria is not waiting for the future—we are building it now,” he declared. “By investing, innovating, and collaborating, we can turn the AI revolution into a Nigerian revolution of prosperity.”

Inuwa outlined the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda, highlighting the formulation of a National AI Strategy, restructuring of the National Centre for AI and Robotics, and support for over 45 AI startups under the Nigeria AI Research Scheme. He also cited global partnerships with Google and collaborations with Nigerian universities as critical to accelerating AI adoption.

Speaking on behalf of NIPR, Dr. Afolabi Olajuwon called IMPR “a multi-award-winning PR agency renowned for innovation and vision.” He described the lecture theme—“Agenda for a Digital Global Economy”—as timely in an era where digital transformation is reshaping governance, trade, education, and healthcare. “Any nation that fails to embrace the digital revolution risks being left behind, while those that seize it can leapfrog barriers to growth and development,” he stated.

Neliaku particularly lauded the unveiling of three new books at the event: Diplomacy and Digital Innovation: Youths’ Insights, Healing Nigeria: A Chronicle of Health Reform and Hope, and Renewed Hope in Central Banking. He depicted them as “not just books, but tools for shaping informed conversations and evidence-based decision-making.”

The Chairman of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), Major General Chris Olukolade (Rtd), applauded IMPR—the publisher of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential, and Tech Digest—for sustaining the lecture series he characterised as a “platform that strengthens dialogue on economic reform, digital transformation, and professional excellence.”

Reviewing the publications, Dr. Sule Yau Sule, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication and IMPR Board Chairman, hinted that nearly 70 percent of its staff have authored or co-authored books. He described ‘Renewed Hope in Central Banking’ by Rahma Olamide Oladosu as a lucid exploration of Nigeria’s monetary policy under CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso.

Sule praised ‘Healing Nigeria’, by Lawal Dahiru Mamman and Maimuna Katuka Aliyu, for its incisive analysis of health reforms, outbreaks, mental health, and biotechnology, while ‘Diplomacy and Digital Innovation: Youths’ Insights’, by NYSC members Fatimah Yusuf Usman and Umar Farouk Bala, was extolled for capturing youth aspirations in diplomacy, digital transformation, and reflections on the “Japa” phenomenon.

IMPR founder and Editor-in-Chief of Economic Confidential, Yushau A. Shuaib stressed the impact of AI in journalism and PR. He recalled the lecture’s previous editions focused on economic diversification in a cashless society (2023) and food security (2024); this year’s theme reflects Nigeria’s growing stake in the global digital economy. Shuaib announced the upcoming second edition of the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship, which equips emerging communicators with skills in journalism, AI, and strategic media engagement.

The event concluded with the bestowment of four “Economic Confidential Personalities of the Year” awards. The recipients: Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA DG, CEO of the Year for Digital Transformation; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa, for Industrialisation and Solid Minerals Development; Amb. Yusuf M. Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for Economic Diplomacy and Regional Stability; and Dr. Zacch Adedeji, FIRS Chairman, for Championing Inter-Agency Cooperation.