Today in Lagos State, Federal Republic of Nigeria, an epoch-making event took place, that is the official commissioning of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a multi-purpose, deep sea port in the Lagos Free Zone. It is the largest seaport of Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa.

When the Honorable Commissioner for Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs) Lola Akande, mentioned that the initial inhabitants of the location which spans 90 hectares had been relocated and compensations paid accordingly.

A lot of activities would have gone under to ensure that all parties involved are duly settled and no dust will be raised again about the ownership of the site. Something similar also happened when the Nigeria LNG, Bonny Island plant was being constructed at Finima, Bonny Island, Rivers State.

This is one of the many activities that make a Community Relations subset of the Corporate Communications Department very important.  As one chief executive recently put it, “is food for the soul of the organization.” No longer is an afterthought or corporate window-dressing, community relations, as more chief executives are acknowledging, now a serious, strategic aspect of business for American companies, a fundamental ingredient for the health of the enterprise.

Community relations are a business practice involving the development of mutually beneficial community partnerships within the areas in which a business operates. Companies are continuing to integrate community relations into their overall business strategy.

It is considered to have a two-way benefit to its society. It positions businesses as civically and ethically responsible in their local communities, fosters goodwill among the locals–your potential customers, and helps the community thrive as a whole.

Organizations must be willing to take feedback from the community and will make it a valuable part of their operations and integrate it into the decision-making process. This will ultimately demonstrate its sensitivity to community concerns and issues.

Community Relations is a tool used to build the credibility of the company and create personal connections with the residents. In another way, the company will also use their community relations project to showcase their brand and drive positive sentiments to their business in the eyes of the locals and increase their visibility.

To kickstart your community relations activities, your brand needs to support a local cause to show goodwill; philanthropy, sourcing human and material needs from the community, and donations sponsor a local event; host on-site activations or visual marketing opportunities and staff volunteerism programs.

After doing all these and more, you can begin to amplify these through Public relations and social media activities. Let’s work with you in creating impactful community relations programs.