You know the drill. Africa’s transformation begins with the many stories we choose to tell – and those stories must be told with your voice. As a communication professional, you know first-hand that Africa’s reputation has a bottom-line effect. It impacts everything from investments to exports, foreign policies, or – as starkly demonstrated in the past year – public health. The implications for millions of African lives are profound.

So why are we still here? AfricaCommsWeek was born in 2017 out of a realisation that, in this interconnected world, there were way too many communication professionals around the globe trying to impact the Africa narrative and working in isolation.

Since then, AfricaCommsWeek has built bridges and has grown into the premier gathering for professionals passionate about the transformation of the continent through strategic communication.

Meanwhile, we’ve seen countless projects, programmes, articles, blogs, videos, and calls to action promoting different narratives about the continent, more nuanced, more reflective of our realities. Sure, the wake-up call was received, but are we still on target? Are we still on track?

Now that we’ve all agreed that this narrative needs to change, what’s our next move? Where do we go from here?

And let’s face it: This is both a shared responsibility and a fantastic challenge for all Africa-focused communication experts around the world. AfricaCommsWeek is not meant exclusively for African professionals. International organisations and companies with a presence, a stake, interests or expertise in Africa are also around the table. Because, frankly, there’s never been a better time to walk the talk.

Communication experts have a voice, they have resources and they have networks. 2021 brings us the unique opportunity to shape the future of Africa-focused communication.

Again, what’s our next move?

 

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