The African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) has deepened its institutional footprint in Nigeria’s South-East with the inauguration of its Ebonyi State Chapter, appointing Dr. Chioma Chime-Nganya as pioneer State Coordinator in a move aimed at strengthening collaboration, professional networking, and capacity development within the communication and media ecosystem.
The inauguration, held at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, marked a strategic intervention by the Council to consolidate communication education, enhance knowledge production, and foster synergy between academia and industry practitioners in line with evolving global media dynamics.
Performing the inauguration on behalf of the National President of ACCE, Prof. Abdullahi Bashir, Prof. Ifeyinwa Nsude charged the new leadership to institutionalize a robust framework for stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary research, and professional exchange.
She emphasized the Council’s commitment to advancing quality-driven communication education, promoting ethical media practice, and supporting emerging scholars through mentorship and collaborative platforms.
According to her, the establishment of the Ebonyi Chapter aligns with ACCE’s broader mandate of strengthening communication scholarship and reinforcing the role of media as a critical driver of national development, participatory governance, and social transformation.
In her acceptance address, Dr. Chime-Nganya described her appointment as both an honour and a responsibility, pledging to deploy innovative, technology-driven approaches in repositioning communication education in the state.
She underscored the need for strategic collaboration among universities, media organizations, regulatory bodies, and digital communication stakeholders to build a resilient and future-ready communication sector.
She noted that since its establishment in 1971, ACCE has functioned as a pan-African intellectual hub, facilitating knowledge exchange, advancing research, and shaping policy conversations around media and communication development across the continent.
“The inauguration of the Ebonyi State Chapter provides a critical platform for integrating academic scholarship with industry practice. It will serve as a convergence point for scholars, media professionals, and students to co-create knowledge, drive innovation, and strengthen professional competencies in response to the rapidly evolving media landscape,” she stated.
Chime-Nganya further stressed the importance of leveraging emerging communication technologies, including digital media platforms, data-driven journalism, and multimedia storytelling, to enhance teaching, research, and practice.
She reaffirmed the chapter’s commitment to promoting ethical standards, media accountability, and responsible communication in an era increasingly shaped by information disorder and digital disruption.
Delivering a keynote paper titled “From Classroom to Newsroom: ACCE Leading the Way,” Prof. Kenneth Adibe highlighted the persistent disconnect between theoretical instruction and practical application in communication education.
He advocated a paradigm shift toward experiential learning models, newsroom simulations, and industry partnerships that equip students with hands-on skills relevant to contemporary media environments.
He noted that ACCE remains a critical non-governmental platform for developing communication resources, strengthening journalism education, and sensitizing policymakers on the strategic importance of communication in development planning.
He called for sustained efforts to bridge the academia-industry divide through curriculum innovation, professional training, and research commercialization.
In goodwill messages, the Head of Department of Mass Communication, Ebonyi State University, Dr. Simon Nwankwo, alongside his counterpart from Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Dr. Joseph Chukwu, commended the Council for expanding its reach and expressed readiness to collaborate with the new leadership to achieve measurable outcomes.
Other stakeholders at the event emphasized the urgent need to restore ethical standards in journalism practice, improve welfare conditions for media professionals, and strengthen institutional frameworks that support press freedom and accountability.
The ceremony attracted a broad spectrum of participants, including heads of departments, academics, media practitioners, and students, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing communication education and professional excellence in Ebonyi State and beyond.
Victor Nwegede
