Guardian

THE need to exploit Africa’s immense potentials for its economic development to give all its citizens a better life formed the fulcrum of the recently held All Africa PR and Strategic Communication Summit. It was held in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. It had as theme, ‘The Rising Africa: The Imperative of Communication’.

180 participants across Africa took part in the sumit that was organised by Africa Public Relations Association (APRA). It’s aim was to ensure that Africa’s immense potential for development is fully exploited for the benefit of its citizens while barriers that hamper communication such as language, trade and inter-country movement restrictions, rigorous visa processes should be lifted.

After rigosous deliberations, participants resolved that to kick-start the continent’s economic revival, African leaders in politics and business should create a realistic but more positive image of Africa, noting, “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”.

The three day event, which was formally opened by the Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. John Hailemariam Desalegn, was followed by a keynote address delivered by the President of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama and entitled: Rising Africa: The Imperative of Communication.

The event also attracted distinguished professional from across Africa and they included Mr. Erastus Mwencha, African Union Commission, Deputy Chairperson, Justin Green, Global Ambassador for APRA, Habiba Mejri-Cheikh, Chairman of Public Relations Association, Gambia, Dr. Remi Aiyede, Department of Political Science University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Chido Nwakanma, President, Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Tikolo Kentice, Chairperson, Public Relations Society, Kenya amongst several others.

According to the Secretary-General of APRA, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, over 180 Public Relations and 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.

He said 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.

Badejo-Okusanya, who spoke on the success of the summit, said that apart from removal of barriers that caused free trade across the continent, it was also agreed that a communication campaign be created for Africa applying the key steps including research in overall continental social and economic development.

He said, “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.

The summit also resolved that in creating this desired image, public relations practitioners and communicators should utilize diverse conventional media such as sports, entertainment, export commodities and so forth.

Champions of Africa brand were urged to recognise new media of communication such as social media because it was crucial to provide interactive platforms that enhanced measurement and evaluation of communications through feedback from target audiences while not completely discarding traditional media.

Beyond recommendations, the summit also noted the encouraging growth in the economic indices of several African countries that affirmed the notion of a rising Africa. Six out of the 10 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 was equally spotted as a bane. Africans therefore needed firstly to establish mutually binding agreements with identified global stakeholders, especially the international media, and geared towards projecting a more favorable image of Africa, said Badejo-Okusanya.

The summit communique said in part, “The need for greater integration of African countries through the promotion of free movement of people, goods and services across the African continent. This would enhance understanding and bonding between and among the peoples of Africa.

That the rise of Africa will be accelerated if there was a change in the perception of the continent through effective communication and public relations and the resolve of the African Union Commission to ensure that the African Union moved 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”

Security concern was also spotted as drawback to the continent’s economic growth. The Secretary-General said that security concerns across Africa were growing and often arose from a disconnect between governments and citizens, and that most of such conflicts could 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 were also canvassed.

Finally, participants then resolved and declared as follows: “We recognise 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.

“Recognising 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”.

The next annual APRA PR & Strategic Communication Conference will be held in Mauritius in 2014.