Swakopmund: Africa risks having its story told incompletely by others unless African communicators take greater ownership of the continent's narrative, African Public Relations Association (APRA) president Arik Karani said on Thursday. Karani delivered a keynote address at the Effective Communicators Conference (ECC26) in Swakopmund, themed 'Telling Africa's Story Through Effective Communication.'

According to Namibia Press Agency, Karani emphasized the importance of African voices in shaping the continent's narrative, highlighting that Africa's story has frequently been told through the lens of crisis, conflict, poverty, or disaster. He stressed the need to focus more on Africa's innovation, resilience, and democratic progress. Karani remarked, "There is an old saying that until the lion tells its own story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," underscoring the urgency for Africans to take control of their narrative to ensure it is told completely, fairly, and accurately.

Karani identified four key communication failures that are undermining African institutions: poor communication, leading to confusion and misinformation; late communication, allowing rumors to fill the silence left by official voices; wrong communication, which involves sharing inaccurate or incomplete information, damaging credibility; and missing communication, where silence itself communicates and breeds uncertainty.

He highlighted the increasing importance of professional communicators in an era dominated by artificial intelligence and social media, where misinformation spreads rapidly. "Africa does not need a manufactured image. Africa needs an authentic voice," he declared, urging communicators to tell balanced stories that include the continent's entrepreneurs, scientists, women leaders, and young people, alongside its challenges.

Karani also invited delegates to the 37th APRA Annual Conference, scheduled to be held alongside the 2026 World Public Relations Forum in Abuja, Nigeria, from November 16 to 21. The conference will focus on the theme 'Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World' and is organized by APRA in partnership with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

In his closing remarks, Karani called for consistent, early, clear, and accurate communication, saying, "Let us communicate early. Let us communicate clearly. Let us communicate accurately. And above all, let us communicate consistently." The conference, hosted by the Namibia Press Agency and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, continues until Friday under the theme 'Communication Reconsidered: A driving force for constant progress.'