Summary

Nigeria became a signatory to the Cartegna Protocol on Bio-Safety in 2003. However, despite several efforts by 6th and 7th Assemblies, the Bill (sponsored by the Ministry of Environment) to domesticate the Protocol in Nigeria through the setting up of the NBMA continued to fail.

Engaged by an interested multinational  company with footprints on every continent, members of our team were involved in a fresh effort from 2014, using third party means to coordinate presentations at public hearings, repeated engagement of different categories of stakeholders, media advocacy, etc.  The Bill eventually passed both Houses of the National Assembly and was assented to by the President in March 2015.

To deliver on the brief a combination of the tactics below were deployed:

Stakeholder engagement

A thorough process of mapping was carried out and several activities were designed and implemented to engage identified stakeholders and groups, bringing them to a point of shared understanding and support for the Bill.

Crisis management

The controversial object of the Bill meant continuous opposition and conflicts with multiple groups - local and international. Our team members led the crisis management efforts, ensuring success from every crisis.

Political intelligence

We utilized our network within the key organs  of government where the progress of the Bill could be influenced to ensure the right information was always available to us and the client to keep our efforts on a positive track at all times and unlock bottlenecks whenever needed.

Media and environmental monitoring

Beyond engaging the media positively, our team members also pro-actively ensured continuous monitoring of the media and the general environment for early detection of adverse activity or trends and providing quick solutions.