PRCAN Set To Announce New Practice Standards For Public Relations Consulting

The announcement was made in a statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day retreat held at Epe Resort and Spa in Lagos for Chief Executive Officers and Leaders of PRCAN member organizations from Friday, February 11th to Sunday, February 13th, 2022.
While announcing the outcome of the retreat titled “Building Resilience for Growth-Rethinking How You Do Business,” PRCAN President Israel Jaiye Opayemi revealed that members of the association unanimously agreed and endorsed the PRCAN Practice Standards 2022 for use during the retreat.
Opayemi noted that the PRCAN Practice Standards 2022, expected to be launched within the next few weeks, would provide ground rules for improved public relations consulting practice and bring better value to corporate and public sector clients who engage the services of public relations consulting firms in Nigeria.
Part of the reforms, according to him, is the need for clients to engage the services of PRCAN certified consultancies given the opportunities and institutional protection they stand to gain should issues arise in the contractual engagement.
“Should issues arise, a client can now make recourse to an organ of PRCAN for redress or intervention. This ensures that clients will get full value for money. Similarly, PRCAN member-firms will enjoy full institutional support from PRCAN and the NIPR as regulators when these reforms come into effect. The package is a win-win for all”, Opayemi assured.
The PRCAN President explained that the reforms in the PRCAN Practice Standards 2022 would also help prospective corporate and public sector clients understand the 21 practice areas they can seek professional services from within the circle of legally recognised public relations firms in Nigeria.
He admonished government and corporate institutes engaging the services of public relations firms to demand their PRCAN membership certificate as a requisite minimum in addition to other prerequisites the PRCAN Practice Standards 2022 will make mandatory for such engagements.
He noted that as part of the drive towards the effective date of the reforms, the association will engage with relevant industry stakeholders such as the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) and the Association of Communications and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) to ensure their buy-in as critical stakeholders.
According to a report submitted by the association’s Business Transformation Committee, PRCAN is already working to differentiate its members through a sustained campaign led by an advocacy committee established for that purpose to distinguish its members from the quacks and interlopers masquerading as public relations consulting firms in Nigeria.
Bolaji Abimbola, Managing Director, Integrated Indigo Limited; Hassan Abdul, Chief Executive Officer, Media Range Limited; Odion Aleobua, Chief Executive Officer, Modion Communications; and Akonte Ekine, Lead Strategist, Absolute PR Limited, make up the Advocacy committee.