The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has sought a strategic media partnership with The Guardian ahead of its 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES 32), scheduled to hold on October 26 and 27 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Chairperson of the Media and Publicity Subcommittee for NES32, Mojisola Saka, made the appeal yesterday, when she led a delegation of the group on a courtesy visit to The Guardian Head Office at Rutam House, Lagos.

Saka said that the NESG was seeking editorial collaboration, sustained pre-summit coverage and joint messaging efforts to deepen public engagement around the summit’s theme, “The Growth That Works.”

According to her, the media remains central to shaping public discourse and broadening stakeholders’ participation in policy conversations.

“We cannot tell the truth from our platform alone. No matter how many eyeballs we have across our socials, no matter how many followers we have, we cannot have enough resonance with the public as much as the media platforms do,” she said.

She added that The Guardian was the first print media organisation on the group’s engagement schedule for the summit, which will focus on five thematic pillars — Work Nigeria, Invest Nigeria, Scale Nigeria, Secure Nigeria and Produce Nigeria — which, according to the NESG, reflect key policy priorities required to translate recent economic reforms into tangible outcomes for citizens.

Saka described the summit as a joint initiative of the NESG and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, bringing together policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to deliberate on reforms and implementation strategies.

She said the group was seeking media engagement that would extend beyond the two-day event to sustain conversations around policy commitments and outcomes.

“A growth that works would be reflected in improved access to jobs, affordable food, business financing and a safer operating environment for citizens and enterprises.

“A Nigeria that supports small and medium enterprises. A Nigeria that can at least guarantee access to funding for someone who has a business idea,” she said.

The NESG delegation also disclosed plans to establish a technical media-working group involving partner media organisations to support stakeholders’ engagement ahead of the summit.