Blessing Dagow Lass

For the over 9-years, I have worked in the development sector in various capacities supporting programs and projects, especially in the development of communication strategies, events planning/coordination, production of communication materials and tools, stakeholders’ engagement, documentation, and dissemination of knowledge materials to the identified target audience.

I have worked across different programs/sectors, including public health, agriculture and food security, gender and financial literacy, and private-sector co-investment partnerships. Over the years, I have built and honed my skills in public relations, event management, stakeholders’ engagement, content creation, social media/website management, report writing, and knowledge management. I have demonstrated the ability to effectively plan and manage complex projects with team members and the senior management team under tight deadlines.

I have worked across different programs/sectors, including private-sector co-investment partnerships /economic growth, public health, agriculture/food security, and gender/financial literacy. Over the years, I have continued to build and honed my skills in public relations, event management, content creation, social media/website management, report writing, and knowledge management. I have demonstrated the ability to effectively plan and manage complex projects working collaboratively with team members and the senior management team. 

From developing communications initiatives and marketing and promotional materials to overseeing internal and external communications strategies, I excel at generating effective organizational exposure and enabling the success of overall communications efforts. With the capacity to employ strategic communication skills to reach the target audience effectively and my proven history of developing trusting and lasting key relationships, I am prepared to substantially impact your organization's and project's success in this position.

My Curriculum Vitae will show the organizations I have worked in throughout these 9 years. In all the organizations, I led the production of communication materials including Newsletters, press releases, audio-visual documentaries, impact stories, testimonials, and information materials such as fact sheets, and one-pagers.

Coordinating strategic communications planning. I have led the strategic planning of communication activities. Currently as the regional communication manager. I work with a team of four specialists and four consultants working across the region. I make sure the communication plans are customized for each country we operate in to ensure their effectiveness. Strategic planning helps to accelerate the project and organizational visibility and awareness. 

I leverage my expertise in digital media, video, setting up and managing social media channels, and various multimedia platforms to drive communication efforts and meet all budgetary, deadline, and performance requirements and at the same time, utilizing Google Analytics and various other data analytics to track and evaluate website traffic and performance on social media, identifying gaps and determining the best next steps to maximize visibility.

Coordination and Collaboration. In the last few years, I have successfully collaborated with several regional and international consultants and freelancers specifically, photographers, videographers, PR firms, and interpreters. Working with these skilled individuals has helped me effectively manage the regional program I currently manage. Through the photographers, we have a rich database of high-resolution photos, and the videographers have produced high-quality short films and documentaries, and we have a collection of footage we can always use for other content. The PR firm helps to ensure the stories and well covered in both the regional and international media, ensuring the projects get to interview and feature opportunities. 

I graduated from Sussex University, United Kingdom in 2012 with a Master of Art in Creative Media Practice. Before my master’s, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and performing arts in 2009, from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, in Nigeria. My degree in Creative Media Practice widened my skills in the new media field, including but not limited to film, digital, media, photography, and writing. It helped me to increase my critical and analytical reasoning in terms of understanding the role of media and to boost my creativity. The written essay also enhanced my writing skills. 

My degree in theatre and performing art developed my skills in planning communication theater initiatives to engage with the beneficiaries at the grassroots. In an elective course in Mass Communication, I learned how to use the media as a tool to communicate, as well as how to write news articles. I got a lot of hands-on event planning experience from extracurriculars, too, during my undergraduate days, I was part of a team selected to plan the graduation awards ceremony of the graduating students of my department. 

Since attaining my master’s degree and securing employment in the development sector, I have been using skills picked from both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Over the last eight years, I have continued to develop these skills and have also picked new skills to help me execute my role as a communication professional in the development sector.