The General Assembly of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) has re-elected Mr. Arik Karani (Kenya), Professor Michele Mekeme (Cameroon), and Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan (Nigeria), as President, Vice President and Secretary General of the Association respectively. The decision came as a resolution during the Association’s Annual General Meeting which ended yesterday in Swakopmund, in the Republic of Namibia.
The re-election took place at the sidelines of the Effective Communicators Conference that was attended by Her Excellency Lucia Witbooi, Vice President of the Republic of Namibia, His Honour Ndaba Gaolathe, the Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Hon. Natalia Goagoses, Governor of the Erongo Region of Namibia, and Hon. Emma Theofelus, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia.
The General Assembly commended the Executive Council for its strong performance over the past two years, citing significant progress in strengthening national and regional public relations associations across the continent, fostering strategic collaboration with ICT Ministers and other key stakeholders in Africa, and establishing robust governance and operational frameworks to enhance the Association's effectiveness and sustainability.
In recognition of these accomplishments and the momentum achieved during the outgoing administration, the General Assembly unanimously approved the re-election of the Association's three elective Executive Council members. They will continue to serve alongside the non-elective member, Chief Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, the immediate past President.
The APRA General Assembly also ratified APRA’s new Constitution which stipulates an expansion of the Executive Council to include a Treasurer, Assistant Secretary General, and 6 regional coordinators – one representing each of APRA’s newly created regions, namely: East Africa, Francophone Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and other African-Associated Islands, North Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa.
The Assembly equally mandated the re-elected Council to institute processes to fill the new positions before the 37th annual conference of the Association taking place concurrently with the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja from 15th – 21st November 2026.
The President, Arik Karani, who spoke on behalf of the Council thanked the delegates for the confidence reposed in him and his colleagues, and promised to advance in ushering APRA into the next phase of its strategic plan which is to collaborate with the African Union (AU) in supporting the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.
Recognising that effective communication is fundamental to Africa's digital future, APRA will leverage its continental network of public relations and communication professionals to promote awareness, build public trust, and strengthen stakeholder engagement around the African Union's digital transformation agenda. APRA will work alongside the African Union, governments, development partners, the private sector, academia, and civil society to:
• Promote public awareness and understanding of Africa's digital transformation initiatives.
• Champion digital literacy through strategic communication and public engagement campaigns.
• Support the development of ethical and responsible digital communication practices across the continent.
• Build the capacity of communication professionals to effectively communicate digital innovation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies.
• Encourage collaboration between policymakers, innovators, media, and citizens to ensure inclusive digital development.
• Position public relations as a strategic enabler of Africa's digital economy and the implementation of Agenda 2063.
Karani advises governments, NGOs, civil society, and private corporations on digital strategy, stakeholder engagement, crisis communication, and artificial intelligence integration. He has previously worked for The World Bank Group, Child Fund, and the Government of Kenya.
Mekeme is a seasoned PR and communication professor in state universities in Cameroon and in the sub-region.
Ibietan, who is on the Faculty of Rome Business School’s DBA Programme, had consulted for MacArthur, Mastercard, and Heinrich Boll Foundations. He also worked for Freedom House as Regional Media Researcher, as well as the Government of Nigeria as Special Media Adviser to Nigeria’s erstwhile Minister of Information and National Orientation.