Nigeria: The Heart of Africa Project
The
government initiates a program to salvage the country’s image and reposition
her for continental leadership
The Heart of Africa Project is an extensive media campaign to promote Nigeria’s brand assets; businesses, products, peoples, sports, culture and cities in Nigeria to the world.
Without mincing words, an official publication on the project states very clearly that the
government of Nigeria intends, through this effort, to reinforce the nation’s leadership role in African development. Before now, the negative image of Africa’s most populous nation had thwarted her leadership potential.
At first glance, The Heart of Africa Project defies easy interpretation by combining as it does, symbols from biology and geography to announce itself. The intent is not so clear also, because Nigeria is nowhere near the geographical center of Africa.
Evidently, therefore, these symbols are official metaphors for the compelling desire of the present government to give leadership and direction to the rest of the continent. The entire campaign is under the control of the Federal Ministry of Information and
National Orientation.
Its objectives are as follows; to ensure that the world always gets the right information about Nigeria; promote national values; inspire pride and patriotism in the hearts of Nigerians everywhere; promote the economic growth of the nation and enhance the positive image of the country and her peoples.
The Project will counter the country’s image problems by using sophisticated substitution methodology. A brand asset audit by the Ministry of Information and National Orientation identifies fourteen areas for the promotion of positive national values and references.
The chosen brand assets vary in range from the material- such as infrastructure, products, business, sports, entertainment, media and educational assets, to the non-material like the intellectual, the cultural, the conceptual and personality brands, etc,.
A six-pronged implementation program begins with the promotion of identified national brand assets in these fourteen fields of endeavor, through a reorientation exercise for the entire nation, then business promotion, investment promotion, tackling of negative national images, known also as ‘brand eroders’ to the promotion of Nigeria’s pivotal role in Africa’s development.
The reorientation program for the estimated 150 million Nigerians will ride on the wheels of PRIDE, acronym for Patriotism, Resourcefulness, Integrity, Distinction and Enterprise.
PRIDE, says the government, will promote national values, inspire enterprise and motivate Nigerians to aspire, dream and achieve their full potentials by employing their talents to creative use.
The foregoing is the background to the adoption of the logo and theme for The Heart of Africa Project, by the federal government. A strategy to push the program along will proceed simultaneously at home and abroad. Advertisements, road shows, events marketing, broad based media channels and the like, including business and diplomatic initiatives form the external arm of the campaign.
Early in the year, President Obasanjo inaugurated a core Business Support Group to give fillip to private sector involvement in PRIDE through the floating of a multimillion-naira enterprise that would kick-start a new ethos in domestic investment through the establishment of giant Nigerian corporations run by Nigerians for Nigerians.
The Heart of Africa Project is a long-term endeavor, the first phase of which will last four years. The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in collaboration with other relevant agencies and ministries will coordinate the public sector participation, while the Business Support Group will lead the private sector in this collective march by the people of Nigeria to a new era of positive branding for the national image.
The official public announcements on the project emphasize that it iis not a laundering exercise or propaganda program for government to tout its achievements. Though it could result in such a happy result, its aim is not to woo foreign investment.
Rather, The Heart of Africa Project is a deliberate attempt to nurture, promote and protect the national image, now recognized as a vital national resource for the expansion and growth of the national economy.