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, 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,” says Dr Omoniyi Ibietan, secretary general African Public Relations Association (APRA)

“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,” according to Dr Caroline Azionya, president, Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA).

On his part, Dr. Ike Neliaku, president, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), said:

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.

“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, said.

“At ICCO, we believe the future of AI in communications must be built through global collaboration, shared principles and diverse perspectives. We look forward to supporting this important work,” – Joulyn Kenny, Global Engagement Manager, the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO).

“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.

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.

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