From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The International Communication Association (ICA), Nigeria Chapter, has formally been inaugurated and issued a Certificate of Establishment.
The epoch-making event which took place at the Emerald Energy Institute Auditorium, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had in attendance the ICA President, Professor Noshir Contractor and professors, associate professors and other senior faculty members in universities, ICA members, graduate and undergraduate communication scholars across the world.
While inaugurating the first chapter in Africa, the ICA President, Prof. Noshir Contractor, said that the establishment of regional chapters was part of the quest for the internationalization of the ICA which debuted in 1950 as National Society for the Study of Communication, USA.
He noted that the internationalisation process started with the hosting of annual conferences and regional conferences outside the USA some years back, and since 2020, the ICA has hosted over 10 regional hubs each year which coincide with the annual conference.
The formation of the ICA Regional Chapters considered as the height of the internationalization of the association- beginning with ICA Indonesia as first, followed by ICA Nigeria as only the second globally – according to Prof. Contractor, started this year (2023) after approval by ICA’s Executive Committee.
Prof. Contractor said the aim was to bolster engagement globally with ICA conference and communication research, and facilitate development of regional communication research networks and infrastructure among others.
According to him, the regional chapters are expected to create their own mechanisms by which local and regional communities can have sustained engagement with the goals of ICA to advance scholarly study of communication and facilitate excellence in academic research worldwide.
In his opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, said the establishment of ICA in Nigeria was apt in the light of the rapidly changing world where global interconnectedness and technological advancements had reshaped the landscape of higher education.