PRNigeria Fellowship Wins Impact Award as IMPR CEO Named Digital Communications Ambassador
The PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship (PYCF)—a flagship capacity‑building initiative of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR)—has won the Industry Impact Award at the Nigeria Digital Public Relations Awards, while IMPR’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Yushau A. Shuaib, was honoured as a Digital Communications Ambassador, Class of 2026.
The dual honours were announced at the awards gala marking the close of the 11th Nigeria Digital Public Relations Summit in Lagos, themed “The Rise of Digital Influence: Culture, Creators and the New PR Playbook.” Organised by Upticomm Marketing Company, the summit convener Segun McMedal said the awards and ambassadorial recognitions were created to close gaps in Nigeria’s digital communication ecosystem and promote professionalism, innovation and responsible use of digital platforms.
The Industry Impact Award celebrates the fellowship’s growing contribution to nurturing emerging professionals in journalism, public relations, fact‑checking, strategic communication and digital media. The organiser noted that the programme stands out for its emphasis on practical training, professional ethics and technological innovation.
Beyond the fellowship’s recognition, IMPR CEO Yushau Shuaib was named among 50 Digital Communications Ambassadors unveiled during the ceremony. The honour acknowledges his contributions to digital public relations, crisis communication, media innovation and professional capacity‑building through PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and other specialised platforms operated by IMPR.
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Shuaib’s recognition adds to IMPR’s expanding portfolio of national and international awards. The company has previously won multiple SABRE Africa Awards and IPRA Golden World Awards. In 2020, IMPR was ranked the world’s most creative public relations agency in the Global Creativity Index published by PRovoke Media. In 2026, it secured the prestigious IPRA Grand Prix in Athens, Greece, for its artificial intelligence‑driven crisis communication campaign “From Study to Strategy,” executed in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).
Since its establishment in 2024, the PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship has trained 90 young communicators across three editions. Participants are selected through a competitive national application process and trained at PRNigeria Centres in Abuja, Kano and Ilorin.
The programme has attracted endorsements from major professional bodies, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and CCC.
Each year, the fellowship admits 30 fellows across the three centres. Its curriculum blends intensive classroom instruction with newsroom simulations, practical assignments, institutional visits, mentorship and professional engagements with experienced journalists and communication specialists. Training covers investigative and development journalism, public relations, crisis communication, fact‑checking, digital content production, open‑source intelligence, media ethics and the responsible application of artificial intelligence.
The 2026 edition, themed “Ethical Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” and graced by award‑winning investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo and distinguished communication scholar Professor Umaru Pate, focused on equipping young practitioners with the skills to navigate misinformation, disinformation, emerging digital technologies and the evolving demands of modern journalism.
The fellowship also provides participants with opportunities to interact with accomplished professionals and gain firsthand exposure to media organisations, government institutions and other relevant establishments. Several alumni have progressed into roles as journalists, editors, communication officers and digital‑media practitioners—reflecting the initiative’s success in bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace experience.
By PRNigeria
