LAGOS — Publicis Groupe has acquired a "significant minority stake" in Nigeria's Troyka Group, which sees African PR firm The Quadrant Company joins forces with MSLGroup.

The development means that the highly-rated African PR firm will now be known as Quadrant MSLGroup. Bolaji Okusaga will continue as MD, in charge of a firm that employs 40 people in in Lagos and was named our African PR Consultancy of the Year in 2012.

Full terms of Publicis' "equity acquisition" were not disclosed, but it includes Troyka's communication arm, which comprises five firms in addition to Quadrant: Insight Communications, The Thinkshop, All Seasons Media, Media Perspectives and Hotsauce.

The deal effectively sees Publicis launch its Nigerian presence, after making several other African investments in recent years. MSLGroup, for example, acquired South African firm Epic last year.

Launching with Insight Communications in 1980, the communications arm of Troyka Group today has more than 300 employees across six offices in the region. Clients include
Heineken, Shell, Samsung, Unilever, Google, Procter and Gamble, Microsoft, Ford and Axa, as well as local companies such as Oando, Nestoil, Africa Investor, Jagal and Olam.

"The Troyka Group communication companies are the gold standard in Nigeria, with a range of long-term blue-chip client relationships, and a portfolio of multidisciplinary
work that is world-class," said Publicis Africa CEO Kevin Tromp.

Insight Communications will be rebranded as Publicis Insight, while The Thinkshop will be aligned with Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi. Media agencies All Seasons Media and Media Perspectives join forces with Zenith and Starcom, respectively, while digital shop Hotsauce aligns with Nurun.