ALL AFRICA PUBLIC RELATIONS AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SUMMIT

From 8-10 May 2013, over 180 Public Relations & Communication professionals attended the 1st All Africa Public Relations and Strategic Communication Summit convened by the African Public Relations Association (APRA) at the African Union Complex, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia . Participants were from Gambia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and South Africa. There was also representation from India, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Participants noted

• The encouraging growth in the economic indices of several African countries that affirms the notion of a rising Africa. Six out of the ten fastest growing economies in the world, are found in Africa;
• The current failure to tell the correct African story in its entirety and the current misrepresentation of the African story. Africans therefore need firstly to establish mutually binding agreements with identified global stakeholders especially the international media, geared towards projecting a more favorable image of Africa;
• The need for greater integration of African countries through the promotion of free movement of people, goods and services across the African continent. This will enhance understanding and bonding between and among the peoples of Africa;
• That the rise of Africa will be accelerated if we change the perception of the continent through effective communication and public relations;
• The resolve of the African Union Commission to ensure that the African Union moves from being a collection of member states to a union of the African peoples and one driven by a common vision, consensus and by its citizens;
• That the growth of social media across the African continent has had the effect of making the African people part of the socio-political discourse in their countries and the world more broadly, while at the same time noting the likelihood of abuse of the medium by persons and groups with agendas contrary to the social consensus;
• The imperative of strategic communication for effective engagement with stakeholders in organizations, institutions and the nations of Africa;
• That security concerns across Africa are growing and often arise from a disconnect between governments and citizens, and that most of such conflicts can be resolved through effective communication and increased and improved stakeholder engagement;
• Strong opportunities to leverage sports and tourism across Africa, both to engage citizens and to develop the economies of African countries, through the enormous revenue potentials and contribution to socio-economic development of these two key areas.

Participants then resolved and declared as follows:

• We recognize that for Africa to achieve envisioned peace and economic stability, we seek the formulation of a continental communication strategy that will promote communications between Member States and also promote a positive image internationally;
• We therefore recommend for an urgent establishment of an International Marketing & Communication Council (IMCC), made up of appointed members of the African Union and APRA, to develop an effective communication & marketing strategy document for Africa.
• In pursuit of creating a realistic but more positive image of Africa, African citizens and governments should be the ones creating and telling their stories, which is a key area of engagement for public relations practitioners and communications professionals;
• We recommend therefore that a communication campaign be created for Africa applying the key steps including research in overall continental social economic development;
• We call upon the African Union Commission particularly in this endeavor to re-brand Africa and create its own platform for effective information communication and dissemination;
• There should be consistent training to enhance public relations practitioners’ activities, and also build relations with media houses, which can in turn reduce differences that deter communication;
• To ensure that Africa’s immense potential for development is fully exploited for the benefit of its citizens. Barriers that hamper communication such as language, trade and inter-country movement restrictions, rigorous visa processes should be lifted;
• In creating this desired image, public relations practitioners and communicators should utilize diverse conventional media such as sports, entertainment, export commodities and so forth;
• Recognizing new media of communication such as social media is crucial in that these provide interactive platforms that enhance measurement and evaluation of communications through feedback from target audiences while not completely discarding traditional media;
• That the annual APRA PR & Strategic Communication Conference be reconvened in Mauritius in May 2014.