APRA 2020: Tanzania to host top African PR practitioners
The urge to enhance the image and narrative of Africa continues to wax strong by the year as the African Public Relations Association (APRA) is set to host the 2020 edition of its annual African Public Relations Conference in Tanzania, an East African country.
The conference, which has the theme: “One Africa! March to Economic Integration and the Role of Public Relations”, is scheduled to hold from May 11-15, 2020.
Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, APRA president and Group Chief Executive Officer at CMC Connect Limited, told MARKETING EDGE in an exclusive interview that the conference was expected to host at least 500 delegates and other participants across the globe.
“Our goal is to see how we can equip participants and members to face those challenges so that they can deliver on their various objectives. Whether it is in the aspect of public relations or privatisation, we are equipping them to know how to deal with challenges,” said Badejo-Okusanya, adding, “we believe that many people who want to understand the market will come”.
One of the key objectives the conference has achieved, Badejo-Okusanya, said, was to integrate the African Union (AU), having become a consultative body to the AU.
“The African union has been endorsing our conference and is part of the activities,” he added.
He noted that one of the biggest challenges in Africa was image. According to him, “It is the PR practitioners that can change that and we brought it to the notice of the AU.”
Among the topics slated for discussion is “storytelling”, the PR guru disclosed.
He described the conference as a place to learn in terms of capacity building. “When members come, they are equipped,” said Bedejo-Okusanya.
Meanwhile, registration for the conference earnestly began from November 1, 2019 and would end in January 31, 2020.
“Early bird registration cost 750USD per delegate and only applies within the period stipulated. Any payment after January 31, 2020 will attract the regular rate of 950USD. This means, an invoice raised within the period of early bird rate will not be acceptable for payment during the regular rate period,” the organisers said.
“Our tour still remains at 200USD which is payable at any of the periods.”
Recall that the 2019 edition of the conference was held in Kigali, Rwanda, a central African country, from 13 to 17 May 2019.
The African Public Relations Association (APRA) is the successor organisation to the Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA) that was inaugurated in 1975 in Nairobi Kenya to foster unity via interaction and exchange of ideas amongst public relations practitioners in Africa as a whole. Through communication, it promotes social, political and economic integration on the continent. It is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit making professional association.
Over the years, APRA has held her flagship event, the annual conference, as central amongst activities used to promote the profession.
APRA was registered in Nigeria in March 2008 with the objective to be the clearing house for public relations information in Africa, set standards for public relations practice through its code of ethics and foster the establishment of national and sub-regional public relations associations so that the profession can flourish in the continent.
Other objectives include promoting African Unity and co-operation, especially as a consultant body to the African Union and its various agencies, publish bulletins and journals on public relations in Africa and affiliate with all other similar international professional bodies.
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