The African Public Relations Association and the Namibian Press Agency have formalised a new collaboration aimed at advancing continental communication practice through the upcoming Effective Communicators Conference scheduled for 2026 in Namibia.
The agreement was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the African Public Relations Association African Public Relations Association and the Namibian Press Agency Namibian Press Agency, following an earlier invitation extended for joint hosting rights of the conference.
The Effective Communicators Conference 2026 is slated to hold from 14 to 17 July 2026 at The Dome in Swakopmund, a coastal tourism city in Namibia. The conference is being convened under the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Ministry of Information and Communication Technology Namibia, led by Minister Emma Theofelus Emma Theofelus, who previously unveiled the conference roadmap in Windhoek following the signing of the initial agreement.
With the theme “Communication Reconsidered: A Driving Force for Constant Progress”, the conference is designed to bring together leading voices across public relations, journalism, government communication, marketing, and digital media. Organisers say the gathering is aimed at reshaping how African narratives are developed and projected, with emphasis on strengthening development outcomes across the continent.
The African Public Relations Association said the initiative aligns with its broader mandate of strengthening communication as a central pillar of governance and development. The association noted that the conference will provide a platform for knowledge exchange, professional development, and policy dialogue among communication experts and institutions across Africa and beyond.
President of the association, Arik Karani Arik Karani, was represented at the signing ceremony by the Secretary General, Omoniyi Ibietan Omoniyi Ibietan. He commended growing institutional support across African governments for communication driven governance and development.
He described the partnership as a significant milestone in strengthening ethical, evidence based and responsible communication practices across the continent, noting that improved collaboration will enhance trust, stability and shared prosperity.
The Effective Communicators Conference 2026 will be structured around six major strategic forums. These include a high level heads of state and diplomatic engagement platform designed to align communication priorities at regional and continental levels, a captains of industry forum focused on the role of the private sector in development communication, and an editors and journalists forum dedicated to press freedom, information integrity and the future of journalism in Africa.
Other sessions will include a government communicators forum bringing together public sector information officers and spokespersons, a strategic communications and public relations forum focused on crisis communication and reputation management, and a digital storytelling forum exploring artificial intelligence, social platforms and evolving content creation models.
Organisers say the discussions will reflect both Southern African priorities and broader continental communication challenges, with expected outcomes designed to influence policy and practice across Africa’s communication landscape.
More than one thousand participants are expected to attend the conference, which will also host the annual general meeting of the African Public Relations Association ahead of its 37th annual conference scheduled for Abuja in November 2026 during the World Public Relations Forum.
The organisers describe the event as a key moment for consolidating Africa’s communication ecosystem at a time when digital transformation and information dynamics continue to reshape governance, business and public engagement across the continent.
