Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan of Nigeria has been re-elected Secretary General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), alongside Mr. Arik Karani of Kenya as President and Professor Michèle Mekeme of Cameroon as Vice President.
The trio secured another term during APRA’s Annual General Meeting held on Thursday in Swakopmund, Namibia, following what delegates described as a successful two-year administration that strengthened the association’s governance and continental influence.
Their re-election took place on the sidelines of the Effective Communicators Conference, attended by high-profile dignitaries including Namibia’s Vice President, Lucia Witbooi; Botswana’s Vice President, Ndaba Gaolathe; Namibia’s Erongo Region Governor, Natalia Goagoses; and the country’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus.
Delegates unanimously endorsed the Executive Council’s performance, citing achievements in strengthening national and regional public relations associations across Africa, fostering strategic partnerships with ICT ministers and other stakeholders, and establishing stronger governance and operational frameworks for the association.
The General Assembly also approved APRA’s new Constitution, expanding the Executive Council to include a Treasurer, Assistant Secretary General, and six regional coordinators representing East Africa, Francophone Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and other African-Associated Islands, North Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa.
The re-elected leadership was mandated to complete the process of filling the newly created positions before APRA’s 37th Annual Conference, which will hold alongside the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja from November 15 to 21, 2026.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Council, APRA President Arik Karani thanked delegates for renewing their confidence in the leadership and pledged to drive the next phase of the association’s strategic plan through collaboration with the African Union (AU) to support the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.
According to him, APRA will leverage its network of communication professionals across the continent to promote public awareness of Africa’s digital transformation agenda, champion digital literacy, encourage ethical digital communication, build capacity on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, and strengthen collaboration among governments, the private sector, academia, civil society and the media.
Karani is a communications strategist who has previously worked with the World Bank Group, ChildFund and the Government of Kenya.
Vice President Prof. Michèle Mekeme is a respected public relations and communication scholar who teaches in state universities in Cameroon and across the Central African sub-region.
Secretary General Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan serve on the faculty of the Rome Business School’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme. He has consulted for the MacArthur Foundation, Mastercard Foundation and Heinrich Böll Foundation, served as Regional Media Researcher for Freedom House, and was Special Media Adviser to Nigeria’s former Minister of Information and National Orientation.
The renewed mandate positioned the leadership to steer APRA’s continental expansion and deepen its role in advancing strategic communication as a key driver of Africa’s digital economy and the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
