Africa declares a new standard for its communications profession

On World PR Day, Africa’s professional communication bodies announce The Africa Declaration on the Professionalisation of Public Relations and Responsible Communication – a founding charter for continental self-governance, ethical practice, and shared professional standards.

16 July 2026

In a profession where anyone can claim to be a practitioner, where ethical failures carry no professional consequence, and where a continent experiencing rapid economic and democratic transformation has lacked any shared standard for responsible communication practice – Africa’s professional bodies have united to change that.

On World PR Day 2026, a coalition of Africa’s leading professional communication associations, institutes, and bodies (spanning the continent and supported by key international partners) today announced The Africa Declaration on the Professionalisation of Public Relations and Responsible Communication. The Declaration is a founding charter: a collective commitment to shared standards, ethical accountability, and the professionalisation of public relations and communication practice across Africa, built from African experience and designed to endure.

The Declaration does not attempt to import a framework from elsewhere. It is built from the ground up – shaped by the realities of Africa’s communications environment, the diversity of its regulatory landscapes, and the hard-won experience of professional bodies that have navigated the journey from voluntary association to statutory recognition. It establishes eight founding principles, six areas of institutional commitment, and a ten-point collective action plan with accountable leads across the signatory community.

Central to the Declaration is the African Responsible Communicator Standard (ARCS) – a continental recognition framework that converts the Declaration’s commitments into a visible, verifiable credential. Through ARCS, any practitioner who holds active membership of a signatory professional body, meets shared continuing professional development requirements, and commits to the shared code of ethics, carries that recognition across every signatory market. The credential is portable, renewable, and employer-facing – designed to make professional standing visible to clients, governments, and the organisations that hire communicators.

The African Public Relations Association (APRA), as the continent’s umbrella body for public relations associations, will play a central coordinating role in the initiative – driving continental engagement, supporting the expansion of the signatory base across regions, and representing the collective African voice in global professional forums.

 

“Africa’s communications landscape is one of the most consequential in the world. It shapes public discourse, influences democratic participation, and tells the continent’s story to itself and to the world. Yet for too long, that landscape has had no shared standard for who practises in it or what responsibility they carry. The Africa Declaration changes that – not by importing a framework from elsewhere, but by building one from within, rooted in African experience, shaped by African institutions. Africa is not professionalising its communications industry to catch up with the world. It is doing it to lead.”

Bradly Howland, Co-Lead of the Africa Declaration

The Africa Declaration, Immediate-Past President of Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA)

 

“A continent that commits to a developmental programme such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 cannot operate disparate standards of communication principles and practices. Therefore, this pronouncement is not just auspicious, it is reasoned, it is seminal and indeed an accountable demonstration of commitment to iterating the centrality of responsible communication to human progress, by those who have lived and understand the spectrum and intricacies of the African story.”

Dr Omoniyi Ibietan, Secretary General

African Public Relations Association (APRA)

 

“Africa has been at the heart of the Global Alliance since its foundation, with African leaders and professional bodies playing a vital role in shaping our organisation and strengthening the global public relations and communication profession. For more than 25 years, the Global Alliance has proudly amplified Africa’s voice on the international stage, and it is particularly fitting that the World Public Relations Forum 2026 will be hosted in Nigeria this November —bringing the world’s leading communication professionals to the African continent under the theme Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World. The Africa Declaration on the Professionalisation of Public Relations and Responsible Communication is a landmark achievement that will resonate far beyond Africa. It demonstrates the continent’s leadership in advancing ethical practice, professional standards, and responsible communication at a time when these values have never been more important. As the global voice for more than 360,000 public relations and communication professionals across 126 countries, the Global Alliance is proud to support this historic initiative and to help showcase Africa’s leadership and innovation to the world.”

Prof. Justin Green, President & CEO

Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management

 

“As a founding signatory of the Africa Declaration, PRISA stands firmly behind a vision of communications built on integrity, accountability and shared professional standards. This is a defining moment for our profession, one PRISA is proud to have helped catalyse by bringing together the conversations that made it possible. Professionalising our craft is how we safeguard public trust, strengthen ethical practice, and ensure communicators across South Africa and the continent are recognised as the strategic, values-driven professionals they are.”

Dr Caroline Azionya, President

Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA)

 

Nigeria’s journey from voluntary association to statutory recognition as proof of what is possible; how the Declaration builds on that model at continental scale; NIPR’s commitment to sharing what it has learned with bodies across Africa.

Dr. Ike Neliaku, President

Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)

 

Public Relations (PR) has evolved from a communication support function into a strategic leadership discipline that shapes decisions, protects reputation, builds trust, and creates lasting value. Today, strategic communication is no longer optional, it is indispensable. The Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC) reaffirms its commitment to professionalism, ethical practice, continuous learning, and excellence in PR practice.

Patricia Luhanga, President

Zambia Institute for Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC)

 

“For 55 years, PRSK has carried the voice of Kenya’s communicators, proving that trust is not a luxury but national infrastructure. By joining the Africa Declaration, we are not simply adding Kenya’s name to a list of signatories. We are anchoring Africa’s communications profession in law, ethics and accountability. Kenya’s journey toward statutory recognition is a signal to the continent: professionalization is not about catching up; it is about leading. In a world where misinformation destabilizes democracies and erodes investor confidence, Africa must show that its communicators are guardians of truth. This Declaration is our collective promise that the story of Africa will be told with integrity by professionals who are accountable to the societies they serve.”

Arik Karani, President

Public Relations Society of Kenya

 

“At ICCO, we believe the future of the communications profession depends on strong ethical standards, professional accountability and collaboration across borders. The Africa Declaration is an important milestone, demonstrating how African leadership can help strengthen the profession while contributing to higher global standards for responsible communication.”

Massimo Moriconi, President

International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO)

 

“The Declaration reflects many of the principles the PRCA has championed for years around ethics, professional standards and raising the profile of public relations as a recognised profession. It strikes the right balance between ambition and practicality, setting out a clear vision for ethical, accountable communications across Africa. By focusing on standards shaped by the realities of the African communications industry, rather than adopting approaches developed elsewhere, it has the potential to become an important milestone in strengthening and advancing the profession across the continent.” 

Jo Brophy MPRCA, Head of International Membership

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) 

 

“In endorsing the Africa Declaration, Lesotho takes its place alongside sister nations committed to a shared belief that communication carries responsibility. Across our region, misinformation and eroding trust know no borders, and neither should our resolve to practice our craft ethically and with accountability. Guided by the Declaration, Basotho communicators pledge to uphold honesty, serve the public interest, and strengthen the integrity of our profession. This is solidarity in action, and Lesotho is proud to answer the call.”

Mamoabi Ralebitso-Phori, President

PRISA Lesotho Chapter

 

“Uganda welcomes the Africa Declaration on the Professionalisation of Public Relations and Responsible Communication as a significant milestone in strengthening the practice and credibility of our profession across the continent.

For public relations to effectively contribute to Africa’s development, democratic processes, and institutional trust, practitioners must be guided by shared ethical principles, continuous professional development, and a commitment to responsible communication. This Declaration provides an important foundation for raising professional standards while recognising the diversity of Africa’s communication environments.

As the Public Relations Association of Uganda, we believe that a continental framework such as the African Responsible Communicator Standard will complement national efforts by making professional excellence more visible, encouraging accountability, and strengthening public confidence in the work of communicators.

Uganda is proud to be part of this collective journey towards a more recognised, ethical, and globally respected African communications profession. Together, we are not only professionalising public relations; we are affirming Africa’s capacity to define and lead the future of our profession.”

Irene Nakasiita, President

Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU)

 

“On World PR Day, 16 July 2026, Botswana’s communication sector proudly ratifies The Botswana Declaration, formally adopting The Africa Declaration on the Professionalisation of Public Relations and Responsible Communication.

In an era where unregulated practice and ethical failures carry no consequence, Botswana’s practitioners unite with continental peers to establish a new standard of self-governance. Built from local realities, this charter introduces the African Responsible Communicator Standard (ARCS) a portable, verifiable credential certifying active professional membership, continuous development, and ethical integrity across all signatory markets.

Coordinated by the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Botswana pledges to implement the charter’s eight founding principles, six institutional commitments, and ten-point action plan. By championing ARCS, we make professional standing visible to employers and governments alike. This is our collective promise to elevate trust, enforce accountability, and write a new chapter for responsible communication in Botswana and across Africa.”

Mpho Victoria Mokgosi, Chairperson

Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) Botswana Chapter

 

“The Africa Declaration represents a defining moment for our profession. In Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Association of Communications and Public Relations Professionals (SLACPRP), we have long recognised the need to strengthen ethical standards, professional credibility, and accountability in communication practice. This continental framework affirms that commitment, while giving our practitioners a unified voice and a credible pathway to recognition across Africa. It is both a call to responsibility and an opportunity for us to elevate the standards of our profession in line with global expectations, driven by African realities.”

Sallieu Sesay, Interim President

Sierra Leone Association of Communications and Public Relations Professional

 

“Africa has always had world-class communicators; what it lacked was a shared standard that made that excellence visible and accountable across borders. This Declaration closes that gap on our own terms, and public relations professionals in Mauritius are proud to be part of building it. With the island being an international financial centre and a bridge between Africa and global markets, we see daily how much reputation and responsible communication underpin investment, trust, and growth. Through ARCS, our practitioners’ credentials are recognised in Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg, and Africa’s shared standard, in turn, raises the level of practice here in Mauritius. That is what professionalisation makes possible: an Africa that speaks with authority, everywhere it does business.”

Bonnie Robinson Kohrs,

President PRISA Mauritius Chapter, and Former Vice-President of PRISA

 

ARCS operates on a federated model: enforcement authority remains with national professional bodies operating under their own governance frameworks. In countries where statutory recognition has been achieved, ARCS recognition is contingent on compliance with the legal requirements of those jurisdictions. The Declaration is designed to complement and amplify existing national frameworks – not to compete with or supersede the authority of statutory bodies such as the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) or the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC).

Today’s announcement marks the formal beginning of the Africa Declaration initiative. The founding signatory group will continue to grow as engagement across the continent progresses. The Declaration will be formally signed and launched at the World PR Forum (WPRF) in Abuja, Nigeria, in November 2026 – providing the runway for all signatories to endorse the document, for working groups to be constituted, and for the initiative to be properly activated before it goes live across the continent.

Professional bodies, associations, and institutions across Africa wishing to engage with the Declaration ahead of the formal launch are encouraged to make contact through any founding signatory body or through APRA.

The initiative is co-led by Bradly Howland, Immediate-Past President of PRISA, and Irene Lungu Chipili, Chairman of the Africa Regional Council at Global Alliance.