APRA elects Omoniyi Ibietan as secretary general

The African Public Relations Association (APRA) has elected Omoniyi Ibietan as its secretary general.

Ibietan was elected during the 35th annual conference and general meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday.

A member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ibietan said he will work with other members of the executive council to “continue with the trajectory of reforms in APRA”.

Ibietan was elected into a three-man executive council. The other two members are Arik Karani from Kenya who was elected as president; and Michele Mekeme from Cameroon who was elected as vice-president.

PROFILE

Omoniyi Ibietan is a journalist, writer, and author with over 20 years of experience in media and communication practice.

He is the head of media relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and has held various positions in academia, policy discourse, communication strategy, regulation, and stakeholder relations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Ibietan holds a PhD in communication from the North-West University in South Africa, with specialisation in political communication.

He is an IP3 certified regulation specialist and holds a mini MBA in telecommunications from NEOTELIS in Paris.

APRA’S MISSION

Established in 1975, APRA seeks to foster unity among Africans and their global allies through interactions.

The organisation also seeks to standardise public relations practice and scholarship on the continent.

At the ongoing conference, Ibietan presented the first paper at the commencement of business sessions.

The conference featured the eight edition of the Innovation Summit (IN2SUMMIT) and included the seventh edition of the SABRE Awards Africa, which took place on May 16, 2024.

Chain Reactions, a Nigerian PR firm, won seven awards at the 2024 SABRE.

The APRA secretariat is in Nigeria and the body maintains an observer status with the African Union (AU).