Oluchi Chibuzor

As the Nigerian market research industry continues to grow, the Nigerian Marketing Research Association( NiMRA) has identified that rapidly increasing data volume should force players in the sector to re-strategies with artificial intelligence(AI) driving the imperative of innovation and resiliency.

To this end, the Nigerian Marketing Research Association( NiMRA), through the ongoing flagship 2025 annual international conference in Lagos, charged practitioners and stakeholders to explore the evolving boundaries of their profession.

 Speaking during the day-two of the event with the theme: ‘Beyond The Boundaries: AI and New Frontiers’, the President of NiMRA, Seyi Adeoye, called on the industry to leverage AI tools to deliver inspiring innovation.

According to him, “This conference is more than an event; it is a celebration of resilience, innovation and collective aspirations. I invite us to explore the evolving boundaries of our profession as we navigate the transformative power of AI while keeping their eyes on other emerging trends shaping their industry.”

With the day-two centred on social and policy research, the Vice-President, NiMRA, Ajibike Seun-Ajayi, said it was about encouraging those into developmental research to grow, while keeping to ethical issues.

According to her, “So today, we’re dedicating it to agencies that are in tandem with social research, so that we will see how that segment of research grows, and then to be able to ascertain that we’re doing everything right to be on top of our games. A lot of us in the Nigerian market research system, we are members of ESOMAR and so we know, and we work by the ESOMAR Code of Conduct. We also have our own NIMRA Code of Conduct.

“And if you go against the NIMRA Code of Conduct, we hand you over to the disciplinary committee. Well, it is not all research that is shared with governments. Basically, you share your research with the client that has commissioned it. Except if you do social research on your own, as in your agency, you decided to just do this and put it in the public space, then you can share that with the government.”

Delivering his keynote speech titled: ‘Development Practice And AI: Evolution and Current Landscape’, Prof. Samson Arekete of Redeemer’s University said rapid increase of data and AI is evolving the industry.

According to him, “In today’s world the urgency of AI market research cannot be underestimated. We are seeing rapidly increasing data volume and complexity. I’m sure we know that today data is all over the place and how to harness them, how to get the benefit from the insight that we provide is very cognitive.

“So the need to do faster and more accurate insights has become imperative. The competitive pressure to understand consumers deeply is also very important and AI as a transformative force has come to stay, not just as a tool but as a force that we can tap into. So every researcher must understand the comprehensive overview of how Al has transformed market research to current trends, and its future implications.”

On her side, the Chairperson Planning Committee, NiMRA Conference 2025, Vera Nnaji, said that the event marked a defining moment not only for market research in Nigeria but for the entire ecosystem of insight generation across Africa.

She harped that the industry is standing at the crossroads of data-driven evolution, where Artificial Intelligence is not simply a tool, but a strategic partner in uncovering truths about human behaviour, consumer decision-making, and cultural dynamics.

 According to her, “Al has become the enabler that empowers to see beyond what is visible- to listen faster, interpret deeper, and anticipate with greater clarity.

“As professionals in the insight industry, we must embrace this frontier not with fear, but with purpose-bridging our traditional expertise with the limitless capacity of intelligent systems to better understand people, cultures, and markets. This conference is a clarion call for us to reimagine our methodologies, ethics, and frameworks in an age where machines learn from humans and increasingly, humans learn from machines.

“Nigeria, with its vibrant youth population and growing tech sector, is uniquely positioned to lead a new wave of Afrocentric innovation. Let this conference serve as a launch pad, where research meets resolve, and insights meet imagination. This event is not just a conference; it is a statement of intent that Nigeria, and indeed Africa, is ready to shape the next chapter of insight innovation.”

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