X3M Ideas backs PRADWAVE 5.0, offers internships to outstanding UNILAG students

Mercy Iheoma Ihedigbo

X3M Ideas, the Lagos-headquartered independent creative agency with operations across Africa and beyond, has reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing young communications professionals through a strategic partnership with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Public Relations and Advertising (PRAD) Club for the fifth edition of PRADWAVE.

The partnership, which culminated in the successful hosting of PRADWAVE 5.0 at the University of Lagos, underscored the agency’s dedication to bridging the gap between academia and industry by equipping students with practical exposure, mentorship and career opportunities.

Rather than limiting its involvement to financial sponsorship, X3M Ideas played an active role throughout the competition.

The agency deployed three members of its senior management team to serve as preliminary assessors, evaluating entries submitted by participating student teams.

Following the assessment process, five outstanding teams emerged and advanced to the final stage of the competition, where they presented their campaigns before a distinguished panel of judges during the PRADWAVE 5.0 event.

The programme also featured X3M Ideas Creative Director, Sola Mosuro, who delivered an engaging presentation, sharing valuable insights into the evolving marketing communications industry and preparing students for careers in advertising, branding and public relations.

As part of its long-term commitment to talent development, X3M Ideas announced internship opportunities for three exceptional participants from the competition, providing them with direct access to one of Africa’s leading creative agencies and an opportunity to gain hands-on industry experience.

The agency’s participation was coordinated by the Head of Strategy at X3M Ideas, Ayoade Omolola, who leads the X3M Intelligence team. She oversaw the company’s sponsorship, assessment process and internship commitments, ensuring the partnership delivered meaningful value to the students.

Speaking on the collaboration, the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, stressed the importance of investing in young talents as the future of Africa’s creative industry.

“The future of this industry will not be built in boardrooms alone. It will be built in classrooms, in student competitions, in the minds of young people who are hungry to tell African stories to the world.
“PRADWAVE 5.0 is exactly the kind of platform we believe in, and we are not just writing a cheque. We are showing up, judging the work, sharing what we know, and opening our doors to the best of them,” Babaeko said.

The President of the UNILAG PRAD Club, Daniel Nnam, expressed appreciation for the agency’s support in a formal letter, describing X3M Ideas’ contribution as a significant investment in developing the next generation of marketing and communications professionals.

He noted that the partnership demonstrates the value of collaboration between industry and academia in preparing students for successful careers in the highly competitive communications sector.

PRADWAVE 5.0 continues the PRAD Club’s longstanding tradition of providing an innovative platform where public relations and advertising students showcase their creativity, strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities while engaging directly with leading professionals in the industry.

The partnership between X3M Ideas and the UNILAG PRAD Club is expected to deepen opportunities for emerging talents and strengthen the pipeline of skilled professionals who will shape the future of Africa’s creative and communications industry.