The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), has endorsed the 6th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), holding from September 4-5, 2019 at Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The conference is to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the first newspaper in Nigeria – Iwe Iroyin fun awon Egba ati Yoruba (newspaper for the Egba and Yoruba people) established in Abeokuta in 1859, by Reverend Henry Townsend.
General Secretary of ACSPN, Professor Nosa Owens-Ibe in a message to members said the theme of the conference is “National Interest, Freedom of Expression and Governance in Africa”, adding that there would be a Special Panel on “Media Sustainability and the Consolidation of Democracy”.
UNESCO’S endorsement was contained a March 26, 2019 letter signed by its Regional Director and Representative for West Africa, Mr Yao Ydo.
It acknowledged ACSPN’s “resilient” effort “in bridging the gap in areas of communication, with emphasis on domesticating global best practices” and pledged the agency’s continuous support to the association.
The letter noted that UNESCO would “participate at the event, promote the conference on our online media platforms, and provide necessary technical support towards the success of the forthcoming conference”
The Call for Papers for the conference is on till July 15, 2019 for submission of abstracts, while the deadline for the full papers is August 15, 2019.
The vision of ACSPN is to advance the scholarly study and practice of communication by promoting and facilitating the pursuit of excellence in academic research and professional practice in Nigeria.
It aims to support the process of shaping communication scholarship, training and practice in Nigeria whilst complementing the work of other bodies with similar aims and building on the potentials of the field of communication in Nigeria, conscious of the needs of the country for critical inputs from communication scholars and professionals to shape a future that will promote growth and development.
