The African Public Relations Association (APRA) has re-elected Omoniyi Ibietan, a Nigerian, as Secretary-General alongside Arik Karani of Kenya as President and Professor Michele Mekeme of Cameroon as Vice-President. The association also approved constitutional reforms that expand its Executive Council. These decisions were taken at APRA’s General Assembly held in Swakopmund, Namibia, on the sidelines of the Effective Communicators Conference, which ended on 17 July.
Leadership retained and new positions created
The assembly also retained Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, APRA’s immediate past president, as a non-elective member of the Executive Council. The re-election took place during the Effective Communicators Conference, attended by Namibia’s Vice President, Lucia Witbooi; Botswana’s Vice President, Ndaba Gaolathe; Namibia’s Erongo Region Governor, Natalia Goagoses; and the country’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus.
The General Assembly commended the Executive Council for what it described as strong performance over the past two years, citing progress in strengthening national and regional public relations associations across Africa, fostering strategic collaboration with ICT ministers and other key stakeholders, and improving the association’s governance and operational structures. In recognition of those achievements, delegates unanimously renewed the mandate of the association’s three principal officers.
Constitutional reforms expand representation
Beyond the leadership renewal, members also ratified APRA’s new Constitution, which expands the Executive Council to include a Treasurer, an Assistant Secretary-General and six regional coordinators representing East Africa, Francophone Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands and other African-associated islands, North Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa. The Assembly further mandated the re-elected council to complete the process of filling the newly created positions before APRA’s 37th Annual Conference, which will be held alongside the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja from 15 to 21 November 2026.
President pledges focus on digital transformation
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Council, Mr Karani thanked delegates for the confidence reposed in the leadership and pledged to steer the association into the next phase of its strategic plan. According to him, APRA will work with the African Union (AU) to support the implementation of the continent’s Digital Transformation Strategy. He said the association would leverage its network of public relations and communication professionals across Africa to promote public awareness, strengthen stakeholder engagement and build public trust around the continent’s digital transformation agenda.
As part of the initiative, APRA plans to champion digital literacy through strategic communication campaigns, promote ethical and responsible digital communication practices, strengthen professionals’ capacity to communicate emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, encourage collaboration among policymakers, innovators, the media and citizens, and position public relations as a strategic enabler of Africa’s digital economy and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Experienced officials lead renewed mandate
The re-elected officers bring decades of experience in public relations, strategic communication, policy and leadership across Africa. Mr Karani advises governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations and private corporations on digital strategy, stakeholder engagement, crisis communication and artificial intelligence integration. He previously worked with the World Bank Group, ChildFund and the Government of Kenya. Similarly, Professor Mekeme is a public relations and communication scholar who teaches at state universities in Cameroon and across the Central African sub-region.
Mr Ibietan, meanwhile, is a communication scholar and public policy expert who serves on the faculty of Rome Business School’s Doctor of Business Administration programme. He has consulted for organisations including the MacArthur Foundation, Mastercard Foundation and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. He also served as Special Media Adviser to Nigeria’s former Minister of Information and National Orientation after working as a Regional Media Researcher with Freedom House.
APRA’s role and future outlook
Established in 1975, APRA is Africa’s umbrella body for public relations and strategic communication professionals. The association works to promote professional standards, ethical practice, research, capacity development and collaboration among communication practitioners across the continent. The latest reforms come as governments, businesses and institutions increasingly recognise the role of strategic communication in driving digital transformation, combating misinformation and strengthening public engagement. The expansion of APRA’s Executive Council is expected to improve regional representation and support the implementation of the association’s strategic priorities ahead of the World Public Relations Forum in Abuja later this year.
