In what looks like a clear departure from the normal trend in the running of government, whereby government functionaries work in isolation without connecting with the dream of their chief executive officer, the administration of Governor Fatai Ahmed in Kwara State has rolled out what it tagged ‘Shared Prosperity’, as a platform for all stakeholders to partake in the state’s economic and social prosperity; Raheem Akingbolu reports

At the Beginning
As a State, the general perception about Kwara is coloured by the tradition and culture of the people, which is greatly influenced by religion.

This perception is so strong that what comes readily to mind anytime the name of the state is mentioned is either religion or culture of the people. As a result of this, only a few people care about other economic and tourism treasures, hidden in the state. The belief has also underplayed the talents and what the people could offer to boost its economy.

Changing Gear
To prove to the world that Kwara was surrounded with untapped resources, the administration of former Governor Bukola Saraki, attracted foreign investment into the state’s agricultural sector during his reign, through which he entrenched the name of the state in the global register as a state’s that have potentials to feed the nation.

However, on assumption of office last year, the current governor in the state, Abdulfatai Ahmed, was said to have told his close aides that he would use his tenure in office to guard jealously the known treasures of the state and at the same time promote other economic potentials that were not known to the public.

To this end, as soon as he settled for business of governance, the governor swiftly borrowed a leaf from the latest global trend, which is tailored towards re-branding and rolled out the state’s re-branding process.

In the last few years, governments of Lagos, Rivers, Ekiti and Osun States have made positioning statements through efforts to rebrand their various states. Also at the centre, Federal Government had tried twice to change perception about Nigeria.

While other states tended to play on colours and logos to influence public opinions and what their people stood for, Kwara went further in trying to use the concept as a driving force for economic transformation; hence, the launching of a national campaign that was conceptualised to attract more direct investment into the state as a trade and business-friendly environment.

Thrust of Rebranding Campaign
Speaking on the campaign during its flag-off, the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Communications), to the governor, Dr. Muyideen ‘Femi Akorede, said it was a follow up   to the policy retreat hosted by Governor Ahmed in Lagos few months after he got to office.

According to him, the campaign fine-tuned the key policy thrusts, strategies and indices for the then new administration. He also stated that the re-branding campaign was designed to position Kwara as a conducive environment to foreign and local direct investment.

Earlier, Governor Ahmed had explained that it was motivated by the need to leverage Kwara’s huge natural resources, peaceful atmosphere and strides in commercial agriculture, education and commerce for enhanced local and foreign private investment.

Ahmed said that while the previous administration’s facilitation of the Shonga Farm project put Kwara State on the global trade map, he was determined to highlight the state’s other huge potentials through a targeted global marketing campaign, adding that the series of public-private partnership ventures currently running in the state recommend Kwara for more of such initiatives.

"Our intention is to sell Kwara through a composite approach that reignites our people’s sense of pride in their state while at the same time emphasizing our key strengths in terms of our innovative trade, industrial, solid minerals, and tourism and investment policies.

"Furthermore, considering our peaceful atmosphere, efficiency of government business and an evolving regime of solid social and physical infrastructure, Kwara is today one of the most favourable to private investment in Nigeria. We intend to sell that attribute to the world through our branding campaign", the statement quoted the governor as said.

He also stated that while the foreign and national phases of the campaign were important, it was vital that Kwarans had a buy-in into the branding campaign as major stakeholders and primary audience for the campaign; hence the decision to blend the state’s cultural identity with its unique trade and investment strengths in the entire project.

To give it a professional touch, Akorede stated in Ilorin last week that a reputable Nigerian branding company was engaged to create a brand identity and manage the campaign based on the brief received from the state governor shortly after he resumed office in May Last year.

In July 2011, the administration came out with a Medium Term Sector Strategy, which contains the key policies, strategies and action plans for each of the ministries, departments and agencies in the state.

The document, which was a product of a retreat held in Lagos and attended by Governor Ahmed, other top government official, and resource persons from the private and international sector, also contains a road map and key performance indicators for the government for the next four years.

Following the retreat, Governor Ahmed was said to have directed all political office holders and civil servants in the state to imbibe and internalise the MTSS to ensure effective implementation.

Shared Prosperity Programme
Having set the ball rolling and signalled a wake-up call to members of his cabinet last year, in January, the governor further approved a programme of Shared Prosperity as a marketing platform to ensure that all key stakeholders within and outside the state understand and internalise the key policies contained in the MTSS.

Knowing well that advertising was key to successful marketing, the administration went full blast in the media in the last one month to sell ‘the shared prosperity programme’.

A source in the government has also indicated that other marketing platforms like outdoor, online and mobile communications would be deplored to reach the people and friends of the state within and outside Nigeria.

In a recent ad placed in some national newspapers, the programme was simplified and broke down the MTSS to direct core policies that could be easily marketed to the people.

While some observers have claimed that it is much like the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda, it is believed in many quarters that it goes beyond it to capture how individuals on the street could contribute their quotas into the economic transformation of Kwara.

In an interview with the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Tunji Moronfoye, he said the government adopted the strategy having realised that that everyone in any given society aspires towards prosperity.

"The objective, therefore, is to create a platform for all stakeholders to partake in Kwara’s Economic and social prosperity. Economic prosperity for the state will translate into the people’s well-being, increased revenue for development projects, profits for private entrepreneurs and investors, employment generation, enhanced infrastructure and others", he said.

According to him, the campaign also aimed at positioning the Abdulfatah Ahmed administration as a high-performing and purposeful one, through the marketing of the innovative programmes.

"Among other things, the government, will through the project, ensures the understanding and buy-in of government programmes and policies by major stakeholders within and outside the state, carve a niche for Kwara by highlighting its Unique Selling Points (USPs) and identify a simple, unifying slogan to which government officials at all levels can relate and implement in the performance of their duties just like the Transformation Agenda at the federal level," he said.

Speaking further, he stated that the proposed campaign would explore newspaper, online, and outdoor and radio advertising in order to reach all major stakeholders within and outside the country, adding that it would be complemented with press and media relations.
Moronfoye also disclosed that the core policies of the programme of shared prosperity have been chosen based on the capacity for rapid impact on the state’s economy and indeed on the people of Kwara State.

He said, "The policy areas are also interconnected based on the potential to impact on the other. For example, the policy on roads is directed towards servicing other key sectors such as education, agriculture, health, tourism and solid mineral development.

"The policy on agriculture also interlinks with that on youth empowerment, industry and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. To ensure effective governance, we are also promoting high levels advocacy, transparency and accountability as well as service reform through performance contracts," he added.