Lagos, Nigeria: The African Public Relations Association (APRA) has signed a communications skilling Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Node Group to provide free professional training to 10,000 communications practitioners across Africa under the PR Fundi Masterclass programme.
The initiative, announced in Lagos, Nigeria, seeks to address the growing skills gap within Africa’s rapidly expanding communications and public relations industry by providing structured, accessible and industry-relevant training opportunities for professionals at all career levels.
Under the partnership, APRA and Node Group aim to train 10,000 communication professionals over the next five years, with an initial target of 2,400 participants during the first year. This translates into approximately 200 participants per month through virtual masterclasses.
According to the 2025 State of the African PR Industry Report published by APRA, only 34 percent of practising communication professionals on the continent possess formal qualifications directly related to public relations or strategic communication.
The report indicates that many practitioners transitioned into communications from journalism, marketing, political science and related fields, acquiring their skills through practical experience rather than formal training.
At the same time, Africa’s public relations industry is expanding rapidly, with the African PR market estimated to be growing at 9.2 percent annually, making it the fastest-growing PR market globally.
However, industry leaders say training infrastructure has not kept pace with this growth.
The report further found that 61 percent of communication professionals in sub-Saharan Africa have not attended structured professional development training within the past three years, largely due to cost and logistical barriers.
A separate survey by the Global Communication Report, conducted in partnership with the University of Southern California Annenberg School, identified Africa as the region with the widest gap between industry growth and professional skills development.
Free Access for Professionals Across Africa
Node Group Chief Executive Officer Ian Rumanyika said the decision to make the masterclass programme completely free was intentional and aimed at ensuring that cost does not prevent professionals from accessing training opportunities.
“Building on the 2025 partnership, at Node, we are serious about raising the standard of communication practice on this continent; cost cannot be a barrier. The decision to make the masterclass series completely free was deliberate and is rooted in a straightforward SDG of not leaving anyone behind,” Rumanyika said.
The partnership will see APRA take the lead in identifying and sourcing facilitators for monthly masterclasses, which will bring together practitioners, industry leaders and experts to discuss emerging trends, best practices and developments in public relations and strategic communication.
APRA described the initiative as the largest free professional development programme ever offered by the association.
The association said the training content is designed to benefit a broad range of communication professionals, from government spokespersons and nonprofit communication officers to corporate affairs executives and public relations consultants.
“For APRA, the partnership represents the largest free skilling programme the association has ever offered. A government press secretary in Lusaka, a nonprofit communications officer in Accra, a junior PR executive in Dar es Salaam and a senior corporate affairs director in Lagos will all find topics that are directly relevant to their work,” the APRA President said.
The association believes the programme will contribute to raising professional standards across the continent by improving communication practices in government institutions, corporations, civil society organisations and the media.
Transforming Africa’s Communication Industry
Industry leaders say large-scale professional training could have a lasting impact on the quality of communication and public discourse across Africa.
“When you train 10,000 communicators, something structural starts to shift. Standards rise in government communications offices. Corporate affairs teams begin measuring their work differently. Crisis responses become more coherent. Media relations become more strategic. The quality of public discourse improves because the people shaping that discourse are better equipped to do so thoughtfully,” the APRA President noted.
The association further said the programme seeks to support a generation of African communicators who have developed valuable practical experience but have lacked access to formal professional development opportunities.
“There is a generation of African communicators who learned on the job, built real instincts and genuine skill, but never had the credentials or the structured framework to back it up. This masterclass series is for them,” the APRA President said.
The five-year initiative forms part of Node Group’s 10th anniversary theme, “Transforming What Is Next,” and is expected to become one of the continent’s largest communications capacity-building programmes.
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