LAGOS, Nigeria — The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) has entered into a strategic training partnership with the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, a South Africa-based institution, to address the widening skills gap in Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.
The partnership, announced on Tuesday, responds to growing pressures facing Nigerian advertising agencies, including a shrinking pool of experienced talent, intensifying poaching of skilled professionals, rapid technological changes driven by artificial intelligence, and shifting client expectations.
Lanre Adisa, President of AAAN, described the initiative as a long-term investment to grow the talent pipeline in the sector, focusing on leadership development and future-of-work readiness alongside core craft skills. “For our industry to be future-ready, we need to tackle our talent challenge head-on. This is the reason we have sought out a partner with the experience and pedigree,” Adisa said.
The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business is currently ranked as the top advertising school in Africa and the Middle East, according to the latest Loeries rankings. The training programme is scheduled to commence in August.
The partnership addresses what Adisa described as a critical shortage of trained personnel in Nigeria’s advertising industry. He previously noted that while the industry has made efforts to train talent, “what we are doing is not enough with the reality that we are facing.” He pointed to countries like South Africa, where young people leaving secondary school attend advertising schools, creating a constant supply of talent measured against international standards.
As a prelude to the training programme, AAAN will host a webinar later this month, bringing together industry professionals and clients to discuss talent development, leadership, and the changing demands of the advertising industry.
Verusha Maharaj, Managing Director of Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, said the partnership presents an opportunity for Nigerian marketing communications professionals to develop the capacity needed to thrive in the industry. “Across Africa, agencies and marketing teams are dealing with similar pressures around talent, technology, leadership, and competitiveness. This partnership allows us to support a practical industry conversation about what creative businesses need now, and how education can respond more directly to those needs,” Maharaj said.
The partnership marks a significant step in AAAN’s efforts to address the talent shortage and build a more robust, future-ready advertising industry in Nigeria. As Adisa noted, the goal is to help “Nigeria pull its weight on the continent as we all expect.”
