The President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr Arik Karani has reiterated the Association’s commitment to enhance collaboration with the African Union (AU) to support the implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.
“We are going to work harder to raise public awareness, enhance stakeholder engagement and promote online literacy across the continent,” Karani said in his speech after his re-election as APRA president.
He said APRA would also promote ethical digital communication practices while enhancing the capacity of communication professionals in key areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and other emerging technologies.
The association will drive increased collaboration between governments, policymakers, the media, academia, civil society organisations and the private sector to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation, he said.
Karani thanked the delegates for once again placing their trust on the leadership team and promised to implement APRA’s next strategic agenda.
The association remains committed to positioning public relations as a strategic driver of Africa’s digital economy and a key enabler of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, he added.
The re-elected Executive Council has been mandated to conclude the process of filling new leadership positions ahead of the 37th Annual Conference of APRA, which will hold alongside the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja from November 15 to 21, 2026.
The African Public Relations Association has re-elected its president, vice president and secretary general at its annual general meeting in Swakopmund, Namibia.
The meeting ended on Thursday with the return of Mr Arik Karani of Kenya as president while Professor Michele Mekeme of Cameroon and Dr Omoniyi Ibietan of Nigeria returned as vice president and secretary general respectively for another term .
The election took place on the sidelines of the Effective Communicators Conference which was attended by Vice President of Namibia, Lucia Witbooi; Vice President of Botswana, Ndaba Gaolathe; Governor of Namibia’s Erongo Region, Natalia Goagoses; and Namibia’s
Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus
Read Also: Oseni Rufai Becomes Emotional Over Nigeria’s Economic Hardship
Delegates praised the outgoing Executive Council for strengthening national and regional public relations associations across Africa, deepening collaboration with ministers responsible for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and other stakeholders, and improving the Association’s governance and operational framework.
In recognition of these achievements, the General Assembly unanimously extended the mandate of the three elected officers. They will continue to serve with the immediate past president, Chief Yomi Badejo –Okusanya, who is a non-elective member of the Executive Council.
A new APRA Constitution was also adopted by the Assembly, increasing the Executive Council by the addition of treasurer, assistant secretary general and six regional coordinators for East Africa, Francophone Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and other African-associated islands, North Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa.
Karani is a communications strategist with wide-ranging experience advising governments, non-governmental organisations and private sector institutions on digital strategy, stakeholder engagement, crisis communication and integration of artificial intelligence. He has worked with the World Bank Group, ChildFund and Government of Kenya before.
Professor Mekeme is a distinguished scholar of public relations and communication, teaching in public universities in Cameroon and the Central African sub-region.
Dr. Ibietan is a faculty member of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Programme at the Rome Business School. He has advised the MacArthur Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. He was also a regional media researcher for Freedom House and a special media adviser to a former minister of information and national orientation in Nigeria.
The new leadership is expected to build on APRA’s efforts to strengthen professional communication standards, promote ethical public relations practice and support the broader development agenda of Africa through strategic communication.
