Bayo-Ajayi Unveils Structured Mentorship, Partnerships To Bridge Nigeria’s Marketing Talent Gaps

The president of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, has said that the institution is rolling out aggressive talent development initiatives designed to prepare Nigerian marketers for global competitiveness, including a structured mentorship program and curriculum alignment with universities set to launch within weeks.

Addressing what she describes as a critical knowledge gap in the industry, Dr. Bayo-Ajayi acknowledged that “The older professionals may not be doing enough to help bring up the younger ones and bridge the gaps. Another way to look at it is that the younger ones are also impatient to learn. Everybody wants to be at the top from day one.”

Her solution is multi-pronged. Starting at the university level, NIMN is partnering with marketing directors across industries to create internship opportunities for students. “We believe that if they have that opportunity to come into the workplace right from when they are in school, it helps to broaden their horizon,” she explained. The institute is also engaging universities on marketing curriculum alignment to ensure students receive practical, industry-relevant training.

But the centerpiece of her talent strategy is a structured mentorship program to be launched next month. “We want to ensure that we put a process behind it where we are able to have a structured program that seasoned professionals can take on emerging talents and mentor them over a period of time,” Dr. Bayo-Ajayi revealed. This initiative aims to close the pipeline gap between classroom theory and workplace practice while grooming future marketing leaders.

The NIMN president also highlighted the institute’s Student Conference, which brings together marketing students from different universities for competitions using real-life case studies from multinationals, a platform designed to nurture excellence early.

Looking at 2026’s marketing landscape, Dr. Bayo-Ajayi urged practitioners to embrace data-driven strategies, cultural storytelling, and sustainability. “We see that internet penetration continues to increase. It means that we have a lot more consumers who are online,” she noted, adding that brands must become smarter in consumer engagement as election-related noise and platform shifts reshape the communications environment.

On data privacy, she warned, “Consumers are also going to hold brands more accountable this year. In terms of, because there’s data, it means that the footprints of consumers are all over the place…However, they also care about privacy.”

Dr. Bayo-Ajayi’s presidency is proving to be transformational. Beyond talent development, she is positioning NIMN as a strategic partner to the government, advocating for marketing’s recognition as a driver of national development rather than merely a commercial function.

With mentorship, enforcement, and global partnerships now in play, Nigerian marketing practitioners have a clear choice: upgrade or be left behind.