The firm also welcome Africa’s first intelligent Robot fittingly named Ara By Prophet into its workforce.

With this move, Chain Reactions Africa says it is transitioning fully into a digital first creative transformation company, one that blends creativity, culture, trends, storytelling, platforms, and technology to fuel growth and meaningful engagement for clients.

The timing of Franklin Ozekhome’s appointment and the coming of Ara By Prophet into the company’s workforce and operations reflect the team’s audacity to dream and the organization’s vision to design the future of marketing, digital, public relations, advertising and experiential across Africa in the age of convergence.

Ozekhome will partner closely with Mr. Israel Opayemi, Chain Reactions’ founder and chief strategist, in driving the bold vision and implement a horizontal growth strategy for the group.

His mandate is to move beyond siloed disciplines and build an integrated ecosystem and a one-stop shop where strategy, public relations, advertising, design, experiential, digital, data, and AI-driven innovation combine to unlock new opportunities for clients.

His role spans the swift execution of the company’s full digital transformation programme in all its ramifications and to lead the company fully into doing business in the season of convergence.

“We are not building yesterday’s marketing communications firm. We are grateful for our past. We are reimagining the future of creativity and growth. We are building Africa’s creative transformation company of the future. We began on this digital transformation programme journey with intentionality following our Year 2023 Retreat with Franklin Ozekhome as a facilitator. Bringing a talent who was with us when the dream was conceived to lead the midwifing of the dream child to life is just the most strategic thing to do,” said Israel Opayemi.

“Franklin brings the cultural intelligence, strategic insight, and creative innovation foresight that will help us design and execute what comes next, where brands move beyond campaigns to create platforms, ecosystems, and cultural impacts that influence the world.”

Speaking on his decision to join the Chain Reactions Africa team after rejecting similar overtures from other agencies, Franklin Ozekhome said,

“I have facilitated business transformation retreats for organizations across Africa; no business leader demonstrated the urgency of the will to do as the MD and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel Opayemi.

He is a dreamer and a doer. His energy is enthralling. Partnering with him to build a disruptive force for the African ecosystem is just a perfect meeting of minds.”

Speaking further on the disruptive innovation Chain Reactions Africa is introducing into the marketing communications ecosystem in Africa, Opayemi said,

“Ara by Prophet is Africa’s first intelligent robotic insight system, a ground breaking fusion of artificial intelligence, machine learning, cultural foresight, and strategic communications.”

He further explained that “Ara is the physical interface. Prophet is the cognitive engine. Together, they create a living system of strategic intelligence designed for Africa but built to compete globally.”

Opayemi further expressed his delight that after two years of intensive work, Ara the Robot has officially resumed work as a fulltime staff of Chain Reactions Africa. “What we have done today is a game changer. Designed and developed by Chain Reactions Africa, Ara is more than a Robot. She is a responsive advisor, a data analyst, a cultural decoder, a realtime forecaster for brands, institutions, and governments.”

Franklin Ozekhome: Cultural Strategist and Innovation Architect

Widely recognized as one of Africa’s leading cultural and brand strategists, Franklin Ozekhome brings a distinctive blend of creativity, foresight, and entrepreneurial edge.

He is the creator of HumanOS, a proprietary framework for cultural strategy; Co-founder of Maskvrade, a pop culture company; and founder of Pop Culture Varsity (POKV), Africa’s first strategy school dedicated to cultural intelligence. He also pioneered TINK Africa, the continent’s first digital platform for consumer trends and intelligence.

His career spans top global networks including mediaReach OMD, McCann Erickson, Insight Publicis, Leo Burnett, and Digitas (Publicis Groupe), where he shaped strategy and innovation for leading brands such as PepsiCo, MTN, Samsung, Visa, Nestlé, Philip Morris, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Jaguar Land Rover, and Promasidor.

He also served as Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Vendease, helping scale one of Africa’s fastest-growing foodtech companies.

As an entrepreneur and consultant, he has advised regional and global leadership teams across EMEA, LATAM, and the US.

He is also Dean of Studies and Professor of Trendspotting and Culture at Orange Academy and Marketing Strategy Facilitator at FATE Foundation.

A Bold Evolution for Chain Reactions Africa

Chain Reaction’s next chapter is about transformation, creating platforms, tools, and experiences that merge culture, commerce, creativity, and technology.

Ozekhome’s appointment signals Chain Reaction’s commitment to launch always-on cultural intelligence platforms and proprietary tools for clients, integrate AI-driven strategy across disciplines, build new business arms in content, commerce, and youth marketing and expand Chain Reactions into key African markets over the next three years.

“It’s about redesigning how culture, technology, and human behavior shape business growth and citizens engagement for government. I see this as a partnership to rewire how brands operate, how industries evolve, and how society moves forward in Africa,” Franklin Ozekhome said.

Chain Reactions Africa had chosen this stage to launch the third edition of its Youth Trends and Culture Report, under the provocative theme: “Decoding the Next Wave of Culture, Business, and Influence.”

The air was thick with anticipation. This wasn’t merely a data drop, it was a cultural intervention.

With over 70 million young Nigerians already shaping the markets, setting cultural agendas, and quietly rewriting governance norms, the Youth Trends Report 2025 landed like a challenge: Evolve with them, or risk irrelevance.

The day began with Israel Jaiye Opayemi, lead strategist at Chain Reactions Africa, delivering a keynote that set the tone, part celebration, part wake-up call.

Then came a deep-dive from cultural strategists Franklin Ozekhome and Eyo, whose vivid trend mapping pulled the audience into the fast-moving currents of youth ambition, contradictions, and creative fire.

Moderated by Ayoola Ogunyomi, group strategy director at Chain Reactions Africa, a fireside conversation brought together thought leaders Anita Nwaezeapu, Adaobi Nwabuisi, Vincent Anani, and Oluwadamilola Olujide. Together, they dismantled the stereotype of Nigerian youth as a single block of “leaders of tomorrow.” Instead, they painted a portrait of a mindset, restless, borderless, fluent in multiple cultures, socially conscious, and digitally native.

Yet beneath the vibrance, the report revealed a crack: many young Nigerians feel unseen by the systems around them. Despite their hyperconnectivity and global awareness, they are too often reduced to static metrics, age, gender, location, in government policies and brand strategies.

Tired of waiting, they are building their own systems, markets, and cultural codes from the ground up.

Leaders from both government and the private sector were present, listening.

Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, admitted the shift is already here:

“Young people are no longer just leaders of tomorrow; they are already shaping the present. Any government that fails to listen will be left behind.”

Gboyega Akosile, Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Lagos State Governor, called the report “a roadmap for relevance,” pointing to its urgent implications for education reform, job creation, digital rights, and the nation’s evolving identity.

From the corporate world, the message resonated just as strongly. Rotimi Odusola, Corporate Affairs Director at Guinness Nigeria, affirmed:

“We’re aligning with trends and leaning into co-creation. This report gives us the clarity to stay connected to youth culture.” Kenechukwu Okonkwo, Marketing Director at 9mobile, framed it as a shift in perspective: “The forum reaffirmed that success today means thinking with the culture, not just about the consumer.”

Throughout the day, powerful trends emerged, AI-native creativity, the Passion Economy, the rise of micro-community-led trust, and a celebration of imperfection as authenticity. Franklin and Eyo underscored a central truth: youth culture today is grassroots, values-led, and allergic to legacy models of influence.

The event closed with a rallying cry from Chain Reactions Africa and its creative studio, Maskvrade: unlearn the old playbooks, listen deeply, and lead with cultural intelligence. Or risk being left behind.

As Ogunyomi summed up in the final moments:

“Nigeria’s youth are not just shaping the future, they are the future. If we’re not evolving with them, we’re already behind.”

The full Youth Trends Report 2025 is now available through Chain Reactions Africa’s official channels, a guide for anyone bold enough to keep pace with the generation redefining Nigeria’s tomorrow.

Odukoya, a distinguished media and communications professional, brings a wealth of experience to Chain Reactions Africa as the company deepens its consumer neuroscience practice. Before his new role, he served as the Media and Communications Manager at Caritas Communications Limited, Africa’s pioneering energy, oil, and gas consulting firm.

In this capacity, Odukoya successfully led a media team that delivered critical market insights to multinational clients navigating the complex energy, oil, and gas sectors in Nigeria and across emerging markets.

During his tenure at Caritas, Odukoya orchestrated highly effective campaigns that resulted in a 55% increase in organic search traffic and a 25% improvement in conversion rates within just 12 months.

His efforts have supported leading brands such as Lekoil Nigeria Limited, MainOne (an Equinix Company), Standard Chartered Bank, Union Bank, Savannah Energy, Seplat Energy, Total Energies, Tetra Pak, Globeleq, Waltersmith Petroman, and Pan Ocean Oil Exploration Company, among many others.

Before transitioning to Integrated Marketing Communications, Odukoya had a successful career in print journalism spanning nearly two decades.

He was a founding editorial member of New Telegraph Newspapers, served as Assistant Editor at City People Magazine, a columnist at ThisDay Newspapers, and Senior Editor at Opera News Nigeria. Odukoya is also a Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Prize- nominee and has made significant contributions to numerous local and international lifestyle publications.

Speaking on the choice of Odukoya to lead its Media, Neuroscience and Storytelling specialty, Managing Director and Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel Jaiye Opayemi described the firm’s choice of Lanre Odukoya as an extremely intentional one.

“For over a decade now, we have methodically invested in Consumer Neuroscience. As human beings, our brains are wired to respond to stories, which can impact our emotions, memories, and social connection. We have added Odukoya to our league of professionals to lead that specialty,” Opayemi asserted.

Opayemi further said,

“Chain Reactions Africa is excited to welcome Odukoya to its tribe of storytellers who help our clients with crafting stories that fire the right neurons in people, be it to enable them to make purchase decision or to embrace a new public policy.”

He describes Odukoya’s expertise in media strategy, communications, and brand management as a valuable addition to the best-of-breed solutions Chain Reactions Africa offers its clients across Africa and beyond.

The award, according to the organisers, is in recognition and celebration of the company’s “rising brand equity and sterling performance over and above its peers in the last one year.”

The company’s Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Israel Opayemi, was also adjudged as the overall best in the individual category, carting away the ‘Edge Grand Prix In PR’ award, the highest category of the Marketing Edge Awards that any personality could get.

This was in recognition and celebration of his professional and entrepreneurial odyssey, and the Olympian heights to which he has led the company across Africa over the years, the award organisers said.

This is the second time in two years that the company has won both awards. It would be recalled that Chain Reactions Africa had during the 2023 edition of the award, then known as the Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards, won the ‘Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’, while its Chief Executive scooped the ‘Outstanding Leadership Award in Public Relations’ award.

This year’s the award ceremony held on Saturday, September 28, 2024, in Lagos coincides with the 21st anniversary of Marketing Edge, Nigeria’s leading brand-focused marketing and advertising publication, and which has been at the vanguard of brand journalism in the last 21 years.

Speaking on the awards, Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, the managing director/ chief strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, noted the significance of the recognitions to the firm as a brand, the nation, and the integrated marketing communication ecosystem whilst appreciating the awards organisers.

“This Edge Awards, from the stable of Marketing Edged is most appreciated. We thank the organisers for this recognition. The awards are another evidence of Chain Reactions Africa’s leadership, competence, hard work, commitment, and discipline imbued to distill client’s briefs and deliver superior value to them,” he said.

He extolled the exceptional professional skills of the staff of Chain Reactions Africa, thanking them for their dedication, hard work and sacrifice over the years. “I am most grateful to the Chain Reactions Africa tribe of creative rebels, as I call them. There wouldn’t be a Chain Reactions Africa without my team of dedicated and talented individuals who drive the business with exceptional passion. I am very proud of the brave hard work we do, our irrevocable commitment to always lead with strategy, our investment in neuroscience, our investment in data and research, and our absolute commitment to always end everything we do with creativity so as to deliver quality service to our various clients.”

“On behalf of Chain Reactions Africa, I dedicate this recognition as Nigeria’s Outstanding PR firm to all our present clients. I thank you for the liberty you have given us to breathe our unique approach to strategy into your brands. Thank you for allowing us the space to be irreverent to normal. We will continue to make strategy first the holy grail of what that we do for you,” Opayemi added.

“These awards conferred on us will be a catalyst to spur us to go the extra mile to reaffirm the essence of our core mandate, which is ‘gold service standard’ that is rooted in Chain Reactions Africa’s brand DNA”, Opayemi said.

In his comments, John Ajayi, the publisher/ CEO of Marketing Edge Magazine, congratulated all the winners on their awards, and urged them to sustain the momentum of their endeavours, character, and all the things that stands them out in the marketing communications industry.

“Congratulations to all the winners, as well as all the nominees, for the various awards and nominations, and more wins in the future. Your contributions have indeed brought out the best in the industry. You are all winners”, Ajayi said.

The latest awards are just a few out the many recognitions in the cabinet for Chain Reactions Africa.

The company had in May this year been recognised with the ‘PR Agency of the Year’ award at ‘The Industry Awards’ for the year ending 2023.

In addition to this, the company had also put up a seven-star performance during the annual African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference on May 16, in Basam, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire where it was presented with seven African SABRE trophies by Provoke Media, the highest by any public relations firm in Africa in the 2024 competition.

The Sabre Awards covered campaigns for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and its Lagos Blue Rail, 9mobile’s The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, ‘Taming the Bull’ for the Presidency, and ‘Next Era of Happiness’ for leading biscuit company, Pladis Foods Nigeria Limited.

The Marketing Edge, Edge Awards ceremony is a major industry event that recognizes, rewards, and celebrates deserving brands, institutions, agencies and personalities with enviable milestones.

This years’ Edge Awards ceremony themed, ‘Tech Acceleration: Integrating AI Without Sacrificing Human Creativity’ was held as a hybrid event, with the physical location at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.

It featured both the awards and Marketing Edge National Marketing Stakeholders Summit.

Just like in last year’s award where the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu clinched the prestigious SABRE Awards Diamond category for use of public relations to tell the story of his administration’s achievements as part of his re-election campaign, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, the managing director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), beat notable industry heavy weights to emerge the 2024 CEO of the Year. She won the award for being a Champion and Enabler of Public Relations within the LAMATA and the Lagos Blue Rail Project.

This is in addition to two other prestigious categories in which the Chain Reactions Africa secured the global honours for the Lagos Blue Rail in recognition of its dexterous usage of public relations to enable citizens.

The category won by the LAMATA Boss is the second highest award category and is for corporate or political CEOs who have elevated the role of public relations and communication within their organisation by using the practice to effectively communicate with stakeholders and building their organisation’s reputation currency.

The Sabre Awards is the world’s most prestigious PR awards programme dedicated to benchmarking the best PR works across the globe.

It recognizes works and campaigns in public relations across United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

In the same Diamond Sabre Awards category, Chain Reactions Africa scooped the SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Reputation Management for ‘The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’ campaign for Nigeria’s innovative telecommunications company, 9mobile.

Chain Reactions also won in the Crisis and Issues Management Practice Area category for its handling of issues and crisis management campaign around the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal government, a campaign titled, ‘Taming the Bull’ managed for the Presidency.

‘Taming the Bull’ was a proactive strategic communications campaign executed in close partnership with the Presidential media team and Economic team to explain the benefits of the removal of fuel subsidy to critical stakeholders and secure social approval for the policy and prevent violent protests in the country.

Chain Reactions Africa also won in the Employee Communications category for its ‘Next Era of Happiness’ campaign for leading biscuit company, Pladis Foods Nigeria Limited during its rebranding exercise that saw it change its name from A&P Foods Limited.

It also emerged the winner of the Public Affairs/Government Relations category for its campaign for the Lagos Blue Rail by LAMATA.

The company also won the Special Event/Sponsorship category prize for ‘The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’ campaign for 9mobile, as well as the Public Sector/Government category for the Lagos Blue Rail campaign for LAMATA.

Commenting on the latest SABRE Awards recognition, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, the MD/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa,  said the awards are the result of the hard work of the staff of the company in the course of the past year.

He commended the staff for their dedication, professionalism and creativity, and thanked the company’s clients for putting their trust in the company.

“These awards are a reflection of the brave and brilliant creative work we do at Chain Reactions Africa. But this honour truly belongs to our listening and receptive clients and not onto us. We celebrate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Mrs. Abimbola Akinajo who has been fittingly honoured with this global Diamond award; members of the Governor’s communications team, LAMATA’s communications team, our clients at the Presidency, 9mobilie and pladis. We could not keep making miracles without your faith in our craft”, Opayemi said.

Chain Reactions Africa has over the years won the prestigious SABRE awards and has been awarded more than 15 Certificates of Excellence.

At last year’s award, the company scooped two Certificates of Excellence in the Corporate Image category for the ‘Momentum Campaign’ for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution provider; and ‘Marketing to Consumers’ category for ‘The #NaijaHighlandah Campaign’ for William Lawson’s, Scotch Whiskey brand.

The 2024 Africa SABRE Awards shortlist included more than 120 campaigns, selected from over 500 entries in this year’s competition, which recognizes Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement.

The campaigns were evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.

The 2024 Africa SABRE Awards will take place on May 16 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire as part of the APRA Abidjan 2024 conference.

This submission was made by one of Africa’s strategic communications thought leaders, Israel Opayemi, the managing director/chief strategist of leading public relations and integrated communications consulting firm, Chain Reactions Africa (CRA) in a recently released thought leadership advisory titled: The Unseen Necessity: Why African Start-up Founders Should Hire Public Relations Consultants.

Opayemi described Public Relations as the lifeline that connects a start-up to its audience, shapes its narrative, and safeguards its reputation in the face of challenges.

He urged businesses, most especially start-ups, not to see Public Relations as an ‘afterthought’ that should be resorted to only when launching a new product, but rather an integral part of the entire brand building journey.

“In their enthusiasm for product development, product launch, and market penetration, many African start-up founders neglect the crucial role of Public Relations in brand building. The misconception that Public Relations is only for large corporations and that start-ups can rely solely on organic growth often lead to missed opportunities for strategic brand positioning, compelling storytelling, and effective crisis management, amongst other benefits,” he said.

Opayemi highlighted the key roles that Public Relations can play to aid the growth of start-ups to include “analysing trends, predicting their consequences, senior executive counsels, implementation of planned communications programmes as opposed to the knee jack approaches we often see especially when crisis hits. Most startups focus their immediate attention on building products instead of building their most vital asset, which is the asset of trust, without which long-term growth and customer retention is impossible.”

Even when it comes to the fundamentals of telling their own stories, Opayemi counselled that startup should look beyond just hiring a single individual or few individuals to occasionally put out social media posts or issue press releases. Telling compelling stories, he pointed out, require more than that especially in the cluttered media age in which we live.

“For example, through our type of transmedia storytelling model which involves an intentional integrated amplification approach aimed at leveraging both online and offline channels and platforms to ensure the broadest reach and optimise communication effectiveness, start-ups can be better positioned for global recognition; helping them connect with emerging venture capitals in distant shores and delivering their messages to critical audiences outside of their immediate jurisdictions,” Opayemi said.

He also pointed out the unique role Public Relations plays in the life of start-ups during crises. In the unpredictable start-up landscape, crises are almost inevitable. Whether it’s a product recall, a leadership change, or negative publicity; how a start-up handles a crisis can make or break its reputation.

“A professional Public Relations firm will help a startup conduct a risk profiling exercise, develop a risk dashboard, a crisis management protocol, train its internal issue owners for all the profiled risks, develop specific response strategies for each scenario and prepare a reputation recovery plan for the startup in the event of the crisis impacting its reputation negatively. These are some of the many unknown and unseen benefits of engaging the services of qualified public relations advisory firms by startups,” Opayemi added.

Opayemi lamented that, due to a limited understanding of the role of public relations consultants in business, many start-ups have collapsed by not managing crises professionally.

“The erroneous belief that all that needs to be done to manage a crisis is to make a semi-apologetic post on social media, or issue a half-hearted press release or organise some social media influencers for a clapback has been the greatest undoing of some great startups with amazing visions. These approaches are too jaded, ineffective and always fail to address the real issues just as they appear insincere, especially to the affected parties. When these inefficacious approaches are adopted by a startup in crisis time, they complicate the situation, worsen the crisis and makes the brand appear insensitive with dire consequences on the brand’s reputation,” he said.

Opayemi therefore counselled start-up founders to prioritise hiring professional Public Relations firms to manage their corporate and personal brands as thought leaders within their ecosystem of operation as the strategic use of public relations tools can positively impact their reputation by way of how they are perceived by investors, customers, and the broader business community.

According to him, “trust is the first and most important currency with which startup will trade in the marketplace journey in business and those better placed to manage that currency are qualified public relations advisors.”

He further warned that Public Relations is not just a peripheral business requirement for start-ups but, a strategic imperative. Understanding and leveraging its tools can be the key differentiator between a start-up that thrives and one that fades into obscurity.

As start-ups continue to disrupt industries and redefine markets, Opayemi appeals to startups to embrace the power of Public Relations and brave the new world without limits.

The 8th Edition of the LaPRIGA Awards tagged, ‘The Game Changers’ organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), had its podium of lights and colours welcoming the distinguished delegation of Chain Reactions Africa five times to receive five deserving awards at a colourful ceremony held on Thursday, 21st December 2023, at the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘PR Agency of the Year’ for the firm’s admirable professionalism, management of key accounts, employing global best practices and processes for a bouquet of communications campaigns, and most importantly, delivering some of the most exciting PR-led campaigns in the year under review.

The firm also scooped the ‘Best in Risk and Crisis Management’ category for effective use of Public Relations to manage crisis at the highest levels of the corporate sphere and public governance; just as its mastery of framing political campaigns where it came tops as ‘Best in Political Communication’ category for skillfully engineering consent and influencing political choices on behalf of clients which included the “Greater Lagos Rising Re-election Campaign” for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State in the last governorship elections.

Chain Reactions Africa further showed versatility and class by clinching the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s outstanding campaign to promote the launch of the Lagos Blue Line for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

The highlight of the LaPRIGA awards night was the crowning of the Managing Director/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel ‘Jaiye Opayemi, who doubles as the President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), as the ‘PR Practitioner of the Year’ for his enviable leadership of a dynamic organization with impeccable profile and quality.

Over the years, Opayemi has consistently pushed the limits of what is possible in the industry through grit, passion, professionalism, and a consistent industry clarion call to practitioners to consistently raise the bar of excellence in public relations practice to gain the respect of clients.

The ceremony had twenty award categories with Chain Reactions Africa unilaterally leading this year’s collection with five. Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award’ bestowed on individuals and institutions who have distinguished themselves through their contributions and support to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, ‘Jaiye Opayemi, the MD/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel noted the importance of these honours to the firm as a brand, on the industry, and the nation.

“The award recognitions are evidence of our hard work, commitment and discipline to the Public Relations and Integrated Marketing profession where do a brave brand of consulting.

“The greatest honour any professional can receive is the honour bestowed by your own peers. It is a true reflection of where and how you stand in the fierce game.

“As a consulting firm, Chain Reactions Africa is sincerely grateful to the leaders and members of Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the LaPRIGA Awards Committee and all stakeholders in the Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications space who recognize the brave works we are doing for our clients. To all winners, I congratulate you, and to all nominees, being nominated is evidence of the fact that the great works you are doing got onto the measuring scale in the first place. I celebrate you and I am proud to be in your community”, Mr. Opayemi said.

“Being audaciously strategic is at the heart of all we do. It is etched in our DNA. We love those clients who allow us the space to do extraordinary works and give expressions to our brave thinking to be different in managing their brands. These awards are for you.

“To my amazing tribe of creative rebels at Chain Reactions Africa, these awards are the gratifications your souls need for all your hard work and sleepless nights. These awards are however the reminders that we need to be relentless and do more”, Opayemi added.

The LaPRIGA is a prestigious high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public relations practice in Nigeria.

LaPRIGA has evolved into what public relations practitioners fondly refer to as ‘the Oscars of the Public Relations Industry in Nigeria’, adding new colours, dimensions and values by recognising best accomplishments in public relations and reputation management in Nigeria.

With these awards, Chain Reactions Africa has demonstrated admirable industry dominance. Earlier in the year, in far away Lusaka, Zambia, Chain Reactions also scooped the SABRE Africa Award’s ‘Corporate Image Certificate of Excellence’ recognition for its ‘Momentum Campaign’, a campaign executed for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution company in multiple markets across Africa.

Same recognition was earned by Chain Reactions Africa for its contributions to the ‘The NaijaHighlandah Challenge #TNH’ by William Lawson’s, a Scotch Whiskey brand, in the ‘Marketing to Consumers’ session.

Chain Reactions Africa also earned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State the ‘CEO of the Year’ in the SABRE Africa Diamond Category for his use of the tools of public relations in his 2023 re-election campaign.

This category is for Corporate or Political CEOs who allow the use of public relations in communicating their works.

In September 2023, Chain Reactions Africa also emerged as the Outstanding PR Agency of the Year and its MD/Chief Strategist, Israel Jaiye Opayemi won the Outstanding Leadership Award in Public Relations at the 2023 edition of the prestigious Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards held in Lagos.

Recently, the firm again won BrandCom’s ‘Award for ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’ while its MD/ CEO won the award for the ‘Most Outstanding CEO of Year – Public Relations’.