ABUJA/Nigeria: The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has strengthened its partnership network ahead of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) with the signing of Memoranda of Agreement (MoAs) with three organisations to support international engagement, media intelligence and strategic marketing for the global event.
A statement signed by the Director, Public Relations of NIPR, Stanley Ogadigo, said the new partners are CogniRep Strategies Holding Co., Cihan Media Communications and Waterlilies.
According to the statement, the agreements are part of the Institute’s preparations for the WPRF and are designed to bring additional expertise and international reach to the event.
Under the agreement with CogniRep Strategies Holding Co., a United States-based communications company, the organisation will work to attract partnerships, sponsorships and participation from international institutions, policymakers, academics, professional communicators and other influential stakeholders.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, AbdulRasheed Abubakar, will also serve as the International Representative and Liaison for the WPRF in the United States.
In another partnership, Cihan Media Communications, a Lagos-based strategic communications and media intelligence firm, has been appointed the Official Media Intelligence Platform for the 2026 WPRF.
As part of its mandate, Cihan will deploy its AGENTPR platform to provide media intelligence before, during and after the Forum.
The services will include real-time issue detection, media monitoring across multiple platforms and tracking of international trade press, according to the statement.
The third partner, Waterlilies, an Abuja-based marketing communications firm, will be responsible for coordinating special markets for the Forum, including strategic partnerships, anchor positioning and opportunities for enhanced visibility for the event.
Reacting to the signing, the President and Chairman of Council of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, said the agreements represented part of the Institute’s efforts to strengthen the organisational and international support required for the Forum.
He said the partnerships were more than formal agreements, describing them as a commitment to delivering what he termed the “Biggest, Brightest and Boldest” World Public Relations Forum.
The 2026 WPRF is scheduled to take place in Abuja and is expected to bring together communication professionals, academics, policymakers and other stakeholders from different parts of the world. The event is being promoted by NIPR as a major international platform for discussions around responsible communication.
The Institute had earlier announced Ventolite International as one of the marketing partners for the Forum, bringing the number of publicly announced partners associated with the event to at least four, based on the partnerships identified in the latest statement.
The 2026 WPRF is part of Nigeria’s efforts to position the country as a major centre for global conversations on public relations and responsible communication. NIPR has said the Forum is expected to attract international participants to Nigeria.
