***As Nanna wins inaugural N500,000 award

Founder and Executive Director, PRWF Global, Tolulope Olorundero, has established the Tolucomms Prize for Tenacity to support young female founders in Nigeria’s public relations and communications industry.

Olorundero, who is also the Founder and Principal Consultant of Mosron Communications, presented the N500,000 cash award to the winner, Pam Cordelia Nanna, founder of MediaDelia Communications, Jos, Plateau State, at the Women in Marketing and Communications Awards (WIMCA) in Lagos.

The winner will also receive media exposure valued at N1 million from Brand Communicator, a publication dedicated to the marketing communications profession.

Olorundero said the initiative was created as part of her 40th birthday legacy initiatives to provide tangible support to female business owners in the industry.

Speaking on the rationale for the award, she said many female business owners had limited access to finance, adding that the challenge was more pronounced for women building businesses in the service sector.

Olorundero said having built a PR business herself, she understood the difficulties involved in keeping a business running, noting that some business owners might require more than mentorship and recognition to continue pursuing their goals.

She said the prize was intended to encourage young women who might not have strong connections or adequate funds but were determined to build their businesses.

The prize is focused on female PR agencies and consultancy founders aged 35 or below who have demonstrated resilience in building their businesses, particularly through digital platforms.

The applications were reviewed by a Prize Selection Panel comprising representatives of Nigerian Women in Public Relations, The Comms Avenue and Brand Communicator, while WIMCA served as the presenting partner.

Chair of the panel and President of Nigerian Women in Public Relations, Adaoha Njemanze, said Nanna stood out because of what she had built and the circumstances in which she had built it.

Njemanze said Nanna had demonstrated ingenuity through a sustainable pay model for her team, rebuilding her social media presence from scratch and using it as a virtual office.

She added that Nanna had also remained committed to giving back through capacity-building events, noting that her selection as the winner was unanimous among the panel members.

Speaking after receiving the award, Nanna said building a PR and communications firm in Jos had come with challenges, lessons and experiences that had tested her resolve.

She said the recognition of her efforts through the award was encouraging.

The Tolucomms Prize for Tenacity is an annual cash award established for female PR agency and consultancy founders aged 35 or below who demonstrate resilience in building their businesses.