All is set for Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors (M-I-NA) 2019 scheduled for the VIP Hall, National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, on Friday October 18, 2019. The event will recognise and celebrate the best of Nigeria to the world.

According to the Project Coordinator who is also the Managing Director, Addefort Limited, Mr Olabamiji Adeleye, “The annual Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors initiative is designed to bridge the perception gap facing Made-In-Nigeria as a brand both within and outside the country. It will celebrate Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors across industries in the country and recognise organisations that are at the forefront of promoting the best of the country to the world.”

Mr Adeleye explained that Made-In-Nigeria is not just about products and services but about the totality of what we stand for as a nation.

Said he: “M-I-NA is inspired to change the negative narratives about Made-In-Nigeria and set the stage for the promotion of the best of Nigeria to the world by identifying credible individuals annually through popular opinion poll from various sectors that will include; Entertainment, Banking, ICT, Energy, Agriculture, Automobile, Manufacturing, Sport, SME, Fashion, Government that will fly the flag as Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors for the year.”

He added: “M-I-NA will work with correspondences from relevant media beats and stakeholders across the country to unveil credible Ambassadors from the various sectors. The general public will also be able nominate Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors on the dedicated website http://www.mina.ng.”

Ambassadors with the highest entries/votes from each sector will be decorated in an atmosphere of total fun and entertainment. The event will feature goodwill messages on Made-in-Nigeria from government and dignitaries. It will enjoy full media coverage and live online streaming for local and global audience.

M-I-NA 2019 will engage Captains of Industries, Decision Makers in Government, Corporate Organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Regulators, Media, and the General Public.

Speaking on the genesis of the project, he explained that “the annual Made-In-Nigeria Ambassadors (M-I-NA) initiative is a product of research and public opinion survey. It is majorly the outcome of resolutions from the 5th Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference, Themed: Addressing Reputation and Communication Challenges of Made-In-Nigeria held on Thursday August 30th, 2018 at the Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

“The well-attended Conference, organised by Addefort Limited in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos, resolved that concerted efforts must be made to promote the best of Nigeria to the world.”

Mr Adeleye shared some of the key resolutions from the Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference which include the need to identify with the quality products from Nigeria and celebrate them to the world, the need for deliberate and strategic approach involving public/private sector partnership to address the reputation challenges of ‘Made in Nigeria’ and the need for conscious creation of Brand Nigeria.

“We must be deliberate to adopt all measures to promote the best of our country to the world and patronise Made in Nigeria to encourage survival of local producers. Government should lead the way in patronising Made in Nigeria products.

“We need to promote institutional standardisation to get the best out of our local production, articulate a communication strategy on how we are going to brand Nigeria, speak positively about ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods that would boost domestic production, promote technology transfer and impact positively on GDP performance.”

M-I-NA 2019 is organised by Addefort Limited, a consulting partner to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos, with support from private and public institutions. It is also the concept owner and co-organiser of the highly celebrated annual Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders’ Conference, a bridge-building talk-shop for stakeholders to interact, discuss and proffer solutions to the socio, political and economic challenges plaguing our nation.