Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has received two international honours at the 2026 International Public Relations Association, IPRA, Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece, for work connecting artificial intelligence with crisis communication and digital threat detection.
The recognition came through a collaboration involving NITDA, Image Merchants Promotion Limited, IMPR, and the Centre for Crisis Communication, CCC. IPRA lists the campaign, “AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy,” in the Artificial Intelligence for Crisis Management and Publication categories.
At the centre is the Crisis Communication Hub, CCHub, a national framework designed to monitor narratives, identify harmful information and coordinate responses during communication crises. It uses AI-supported social listening and digital tools to identify false or manipulated information more quickly.
The awards ceremony was held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens. NITDA’s Director of Corporate Communications, Hadiza Umar, represented the agency alongside Professor Yau Sule of IMPR, according to Voice of Nigeria.
How the AI-powered crisis communication system works
False claims, altered videos and fabricated statements can move rapidly through social media before institutions can verify what happened.
The CCHub was developed to support a more proactive response. IPRA says the underlying 107-page research project examined how AI could support real-time monitoring and threat detection within structured governance frameworks. Its findings helped lead to a national symposium and later to the development of the Crisis Communication Hub.
The framework is intended to support monitoring of fake news, hate speech, disinformation and manipulated content, including deepfakes, which can make people appear to say or do things they never actually did.
CCC has also reported the use of AI-driven monitoring and social listening tools to examine misinformation and public narratives. In a March 2026 analysis, the organisation said it monitored conversations across X, Facebook, WhatsApp groups, online news platforms and other channels, combining automated monitoring with human intelligence.
The practical aim is to connect early detection with coordinated communication. Rather than responding separately after a false story spreads, the framework is intended to bring stakeholders together around verification, public information and crisis messaging.
Why misinformation and deepfakes matter in Nigeria
The recognition comes as Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections, when political activity and online conversations are expected to intensify. CCC has warned that AI-generated misinformation, manipulated multimedia and inflammatory narratives can weaken public trust and make crisis management more difficult
NITDA also raised concerns earlier this year about AI-generated deepfakes and automated propaganda. The agency endorsed a centralised national crisis communication mechanism and identified measures including digital literacy, AI-content detection training, stronger cybersecurity cooperation and engagement with technology companies.
AI is contributing to digital manipulation, but it can also assist with monitoring and early warning. Its usefulness will depend on responsible deployment and credible verification.
Back Story: From research to a national crisis communication framework
The work began with research rather than a finished technology product. It grew from a 107-page empirical study on artificial intelligence and crisis communication in Nigeria, conducted by Yushau A. Shuaib with support from NITDA and linked to the Centre for Crisis Communication. The research examined the risks of AI-powered information manipulation and opportunities for using AI to detect threats.
The findings contributed to the first National Symposium on Digital Innovations in Crisis Communication, bringing together security, government, media, civil society and technology stakeholders. The discussions helped shape the Crisis Communication Hub for social listening, misinformation monitoring, early warning and crisis response.
The IPRA recognition reflects a journey from research to communication strategy and a growing Nigerian conversation about using AI to protect the information space, where speed, accuracy and public trust increasingly matter.
Also Read: Nigeria’s Teachers Could Benefit From Delta State’s Technology-Based Teacher Tracking Model
