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COVID-19: PR Experts Urge Practitioners to ‘Go Forward to Work’
Professionals in the Public Relations business have been advised to go-forward to work and not backwards because of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
This call was made by a team of experts with a combined experience of more than 100 years at a webinar hosted by Caritas Communications, a leading public relations and reputation management consultancy.
Moderated by Adedayo Ojo, CEO of Caritas Communications, the webinar centred on the topic Managing Reputation in the COVID-19 Milieu.
On the panel were Emeka Oparah, Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel; Anne Ezeh, Communications Director, GE Gas Power Business, Sub-Saharan Africa and Ade Adefeko, Vice President, Corporate & Government Relations, Olam Nigeria who used the platform to share new thinking in reputation management against the backdrop of the contagion.
According to Mr Ojo, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the world operates and in order to excel in the face of new realities, public relations consultants must plan on going forward to work rather than back to work.
He kicked off the discussion by giving an overview of the importance of public relations to businesses in the COVID-19 era. In his opinion, the public relations discipline may have finally found itself in a position to steer brand creativity rather than being consigned to the supporting role it has been stuck in for so long.
He noted that the virus may have served as a catalyst to accelerate change and poses the bigger and more complex questions, “it is an opportunity to prepare for how we define what comes next”.
On his part, Emeka Oparah explained that it is very important for organisations and communications managers to be well prepared for crisis.
“It is important to prepare for a crisis, which can come in any form, such as fire, water or even the current virus. Crisis is an opportunity for crisis managers to show their preparedness and creativity,” he said.
Anne Ezeh admonished organisations to invest in safety. In her words, “this crisis has really brought safety to the fore. There is no compromise for safety and any organisation compromising safety is setting itself up for litigation or crisis.”
Ade Adefeko spoke on the need for organisations to ensure that communications managers play a key role in management and have access to first-hand information, in order to be more proactive in dealing with crisis.
“A serious organisation will have its communications manager on the management team. This will help the communication manager to get first-hand information to guide his knowledge of the business,” Adefeko said.
He also highlighted the importance of extensive knowledge acquisition for communications managers. “Be the go-to person that can be turned to for expert knowledge, advice, or reliable performance, especially in a crucial situation”.
On suggestions that lobbying should be regulated, Ade Adefeko and Emeka Oparah cautioned that this could hamper the ability of government relations professionals to help lawmakers understand and properly address issues that border on public good.
In Anne Ezeh’s view, self-regulation for lobbying already exists since most organisations have a code of conduct for government relations officers.
The webinar, the first in a series of planned editions, was organised and hosted by The Reputation Solutions Faculty, a business unit of Caritas Communications, that is committed to enabling useful conversations and knowledge sharing on the subject of communication and its roles in business, government and society.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
