Emmanuel Samu Dandaura, PhD, fnipr, fsonta, fana, fta, fitin, FNAL. Professor Emmanuel Samu Dandaura is a renowned expert in communication and cultural studies. He was a founding faculty member at the University of Abuja (1990) and Nasarawa State University (2009). His academic contributions include 105 publications in national and international journals, books, and monographs. Notably, he developed the Development Entertainment Theory in 2010, advancing theatre for development communication. He is the Vice president and Vice Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Dandaura’s influence as a researcher extends globally through public lectures and visiting professorships at 18 universities across five continents, including the Chinese University, Hong Kong, York University in Canada, and Makerere University in Uganda. In policy and cultural development, Dandaura chaired the study that mapped Nigeria’s Cultural and Creative Industries in 2013, aiding their economic integration and contributing to Nigeria’s status as Africa’s largest economy.
He has consulted for international organisations like UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNESCO, where he has chaired expert committees and contributed to key cultural initiatives. As a Communication and Cultural expert for the African Union, he helped develop over nine continental standard-setting instruments in the past 13 years, including the African Union Model Law for the Protection of Cultural Property and Heritage and the AU
Revised Plan of Action on Cultural and Creative Industries. He is co-chair of the expert committee currently working on the African Union Arts Education Policy. Professor Dandaura is the founding Executive Director of the Institute of Strategic and Development Communication, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and chairs the implementation committee of the world’s first University of Public Relations and Leadership. He is a foundation member of the National Association of Artificial Intelligence where he serves as the foundation Vice President (North Central). He holds fellowships with several prestigious organisations, including the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, and the Nigeria Association of Authors.