APRA Commences Initiative to Change Perception about Africa
African Public Relations Association (APRA), the umbrella body for public relations practitioners in Africa, is set to launch ‘50 Authentic African Brands: Tell Your African Story’, an initiative to change the negative perception about the African continent.
The initiative is intended to capture the success stories of 50 notable brands in Africa. It will also expose the resilient spirit, entrepreneurship, hospitality and vast picturesque lands, nature and waterways comparable to nowhere else that the continent boasts of, as against the negative perception of slavery, terrorism and underdevelopment held by people from other parts of the world.
Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, president of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), said the initiative is part of the association’s reputation management effort to change the African story with brands telling their success stories.
The president at the 29th APRA annual conference held recently in Morocco said that there are lots of great things happening in Africa on a daily basis but are not reported and celebrated, adding that the initiative will help project brands on the continent to the world and show how their efforts have contributed to the growth of the continent.
“To kick-off the change in Africa’s narrative, I in my office as President of this august body, working in conjunction with my Executive Council, have approved the commencement of an initiative known as 50 Authentic African Brands: Tell Your African Story. Watch out for it”, he said.
As part of effort to sell Africa to the world, Badejo-Okusanya urged PR professionals in the continent to re-tell and re-sell the story of the continent in order to change the narrative.
“As the relevant professionals, when it comes to reputation management, the prime responsibility of changing Africa’s narrative rest squarely with us. We must rise to that occasion. No one else has that primary responsibility. If we fail, then we have failed Africa and generations to come. You are not here by accident neither were you born an African by mistake. You have a purpose. I, therefore, call on you, African Public Relations professionals, be you in the public or private sectors, to collectively re-tell and re-sell the story of Africa”, the president urged.
The foremost goal of APRA is selling positive Africa through the instrumentality of Public Relations profession. Founded as the Federation of African Public Relations Associations (FAPRA) in 1975 in Nairobi, Kenya, the association has undergone metamorphosis over the years culminating in what it is today.
APRA has mandated itself to promote five key areas on the continent namely: Economic Integration, Infrastructure Development & Technological Advancement, Social Welfare, with emphasis on education, health and poverty reduction, Good Governance and Tourism, Leisure & Entertainment.
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