In a momentous leap forward for creative education in Nigeria, O2 Academy, a premier institution specializing in Brands and Marketing Communications Creative School, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) to advance a comprehensive understanding and expertise in advertising and marketing communications within the nation.
This landmark achievement follows five years after the apex regulatory agency initially accredited the esteemed training school, underscoring its continued commitment to excellence in the field.
In an exclusive interview with The Brand Colossus, Mr. Ozone Mbanefo, CEO of O2 Academy, expressed his excitement at this recognition, stating, “This accreditation marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards fostering a generation of skilled professionals in the advertising industry.”
Furthermore, Mr. Ozone shed light on the collaborative efforts between O2 Academy and ARCON, aimed at enriching the educational landscape. He emphasized the partnership’s focus on delivering comprehensive training programs and workshops, setting a new standard for quality education in the field.
“ARCON, first gave us accreditation some five years ago and having seen the effectiveness of our training and how professional we have been in terms of consistency and delivering quality training. They decided to go deeper into more collaboration with O2 Academy. And this collaboration is basically going to be O2 joining forces with ARCON to deliver a much more robust quality training, for people who want to get certification and for several workshops that ARCON is going to be having. So, this simply means ARCON teaming up with O2 Academy being the Nigerian-leading Black, advertising and training school for marketing communication. And for us, it shows the regulatory body is constantly reinventing itself and looking for ways to make their services or what I call their impact in the industry being much more robust. So, it is more like an upgrade to what they have been doing.” He said.
Moreover, in line with its visionary outlook and commitment to growth, O2 Academy also announced its expansion into the University of Ilorin. This strategic move underscores O2 Academy’s overarching mission to broaden its reach and enhance capacity development within the realm of creative education.
O2 Academy’s expansion into Ilorin, marked by a strategic collaboration with the University of Ilorin, underscores its commitment to reaching aspiring advertising professionals across Nigeria. Mr. Ozone elaborated on this initiative, highlighting the establishment of ‘Club O2’ at the University of Ilorin as a means to provide accessible and subsidized training opportunities for students, thereby bridging the gap between academia and industry.
“O2 Academy has always established its mandate, made it known that our assignment is to empower more Nigerian youth and make them more employable and employers of labor. And we decided that this time around we need to start catching them young. And of course, be that bridge that will connect them. So, we decided to partner with University of Ilorin whereby we bring the training to them at a very subsidized rate for student membership. So, in that way, we can open more doors for more young people to come into advertising. So, we just want to make advertising more attractive and cooler again. And in that way, making them more employable and employers of labor.”
He continued, “So, it is called Club O2, and The University of llorin is just the first place, the first school that has started Club O2. And it was signed by the vice chancellor to the office of the dean of studies at the University of llorin. So, it is officially a club, and this time around, it is a club that is geared towards empowering young people in the area of brand and marketing communication training. Just simply upskilling the young people. So, and our aim is to spread around other schools. To get them become more useful to the society and stop the whole complaining and all that Japa syndrome. And what it will translate to is turning them to freelancers, so, with this training, while in school, they can be getting remote jobs and be making their own money. And on graduation, getting jobs if they want to work, it’s going to be easier, that is the end idea.”
Looking ahead, O2 Academy is poised to introduce a range of new programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing its educational offerings. Mr. Ozone emphasized the institution’s dedication to continuous improvement, stating, “Our goal is to constantly reinvent the wheel, to push the needle and improve our training every step of the way.
“So, the students come to the academy, do their training on the weekends, and the weekdays they have their training online in the evening. So, in that way, they practice whatever thing they are taught, beyond the things that they are seeing on the physical. So, Mondays, they watch pre-recorded videos of the trainings they will get for the week, by Tuesday, they have a live session with an instructor, wherever they are from 8 o’clock to 10. And on Wednesdays, they also have another online session from 8 o’clock to 10 and then, when they come in on Saturdays, those things they have learned online, they now physically practicalize those things. So, in that way, the quality of our training is top-notch, because we are oxygen, we don’t want to cut corners. You don’t cut corners with the air you breathe.”
Addressing prospective students, Mr. Ozone emphasized the importance of discipline and self-improvement in achieving success in the advertising industry. “Focus on building yourself. Focus on upgrading your skill set,” he advised, highlighting the correlation between personal development and professional advancement.
With this partnership and ambitious collaborations, O2 Academy stands as a beacon of innovation and excellence in Nigeria’s creative education landscape, poised to empower the next generation of advertising professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an ever-evolving industry.
