New academy to aid marketing researchers

A newly established initiative known as Market research Academy (MRA), is set to improve the quality of researchers in the Nigerian business sector. Mr. Seyi Adeoye, CEO, Pierrine Limited and Programme Director MRA announced this, in a press conference recently in Lagos.

According to Adeoye, the academy will help in equipping market researchers and practitioners of business advisory to give their best to their organizations.“Market Research Academy Lagos is a professionally run academy by industry practitioners for marketing researchers. We run ‘outcome’ oriented programmes. Our model is simple: we invite facilitators with hands on proven knowledge on different target topics to teach and we then leverage a central advisory board to push the envelope via inclusion of new approaches and methodologies,” he said.

He explained that the motive behind the establishment of the academy is to improve the standard of Nigerian market researchers so they would help channel their various business organizations into benefiting from the numerous gains in the commercial market.

The academy according to Adeoye would prepare fresh graduates who are willing to develop a professional career in Marketing Research “is not only tailored to established consultants but fresh graduates looking for work. Over time, these fresh graduates either due to their fault or the system find it difficult to fit into work places This academy is designed to close that gap and accelerate meaningful integration in the Nigerian workforce.”

He lamented the inadequate training programmes open for market researchers all over the country and wished that more opportunities were created so as to afford the research practitioners the required skills for continual improvement.

“Nigerian business have benefited from marketing research consulting services as noticed in their growth trajectory over time. Telecom, banking, manufacturing, SMEs and other service industry are good examples where this is noticed. I must say that without them, though with other factors, many of them might have struggled, as they would find it difficult to navigate the challenging economy and ever-changing consumer preferences profitably.

Unfortunately, few multinational firms have in-house trainings but these do not serve the larger industry and have their shortcomings, as participants do not share inter-industry ideas.Africa accounts for about 1% of global research market spend (estimated at about 45billion dollars). This can only grow if more enterprises in Africa embrace research to improve their businesses instead of relying on thumb. “

Members of the advisory faculty of MRA include the Chairman, Doyin Salami, a renowned economist; Micheal Abhulimen, Executive Director, Wake Forest University, USA; Lanre Fashakin, former Marketing Director, Lafarage Nigeria; Stella Okpalla, CEO Deepdive LTD; and Ibukun Badejo, programme planner.

“With about 170 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, and its economy is one of the world’s fastest growing markets and an investment haven. Local and foreign investors are daily finding investment opportunities in the country. Many of them will need well-grounded marketing research consultants to guide them through investment decisions running into millions and billions of Naira and the peculiarities of the Nigerian market. We therefore state emphatically that consultants are crucible of business and we also recognize that the players in that category must continually be equipped and up skilled for their roles in the Nigerian dynamic economy.

The academy which is an interventionist move to close the widening knowledge gap in Nigeria’s marketing research consultancy business will also upscale the skills of practitioners especially as the market becomes more demanding and dynamic.”