APRA Receives Inaugural Africa PR Legacy Award for 50 Years of Advancing Public Relations
The African Public Relations Association (APRA) has received the inaugural Africa PR Legacy Award in recognition of its five decades of contribution to the growth, professionalisation and advancement of public relations across the continent.
The award was presented to APRA at the 2026 ASCOM Communication Summit and Awards held on September 17 at CRRAE UMOA in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
APRA became the first organisation to receive the Africa PR Legacy Award, which recognises enduring contributions to the development of the communication profession in Africa.
According to a statement by APRA’s Chief Administrative Officer, Veronica E. Abuede, the association was nominated by a Paris-based communication company specialising in African communication systems and landscapes.
Following consideration of nominations, the award jury selected APRA for its 50-year legacy and sustained efforts to promote professional unity, standardisation, collaboration and continuous dialogue among public relations practitioners across Africa.
ASCOM, in notifying APRA of the recognition, highlighted the association’s resilience in building and sustaining a continental professional body with a presence across Africa.
It also acknowledged APRA’s efforts to bring communication practitioners together to examine emerging challenges and opportunities shaping the present and future of public relations on the continent.
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Speaking at the summit, Chief Executive Officer of ASCOM, Michel Russel Lohore, commended APRA for strengthening collaboration among public relations professionals across African countries.
He also acknowledged the association’s advocacy for accountable public relations and strategic communication as important components of Africa’s development.
Receiving the award on behalf of APRA President, Arik Karani, the association’s Secretary General, Dr Omoniyi Ibietan, described the recognition as an affirmation of APRA’s contribution to the profession over the past five decades.
Ibietan said the honour belonged not only to the current leadership but also to generations of practitioners who had contributed to building the association and strengthening public relations practice across the continent.
“This recognition is a tribute to the generations of public relations practitioners who have contributed to building APRA and advancing our profession across Africa,” he said.
“It also reinforces our responsibility to ensure that APRA remains a platform for professional collaboration, knowledge exchange, ethical practice and the continuous advancement of public relations on the continent.”
The recognition comes as APRA enters the next phase of its 50-year history, with the association reaffirming its commitment to strengthening partnerships with governments, professional bodies, communication practitioners and other stakeholders across Africa.
APRA said it would continue to promote professional standards, knowledge exchange and stronger collaboration among practitioners as public relations and strategic communication assume increasingly important roles in governance, business and development across the continent.
By PRNigeria
