Society Gists

At the recently concluded 2024 SABRE Africa Awards, held following the annual African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s marketing communications industry celebrated a momentous achievement.

Chain Reactions Africa, a leading public relations and integrated marketing communications firm, clinched seven impressive award categories, underscoring its industry dominance.

The award categories won by Chain Reactions Africa include: – CEO of the Year – Public Affairs – Public Sector/Government for the Lagos Blue Rail campaign for LAMATA – Superior Achievement in Reputation Management** – Special Event/Sponsorship for its ‘The Hack—Expand Your Hustle’ campaign for 9mobile Additionally, the newly elected President of APRA, Arik Karani, honored several notable figures for their leadership.

Certificates of Excellence were presented to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs, CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku.

Other standout winners at the awards included Razor/M&C Saatchi Group of South Africa, which secured five categories, announced by Arun Sudhaman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief at PRovoke Media. BCW (Mauritius & Kenya), Clockwork (South Africa), and Ogilvy (South Africa) each bagged three awards. Newmark Group (Kenya), Blanche Aigle Communications (Nigeria), Tribeca Public Relations (South Africa), and WE Communications took home two awards each. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, Managing Director of Chain Reactions Africa and President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), expressed gratitude for the accolades.

He attributed the agency’s success to hard work, client trust, and the dedication and creativity of his staff. Yushau Shuaib, CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, PRNigeria, and Spokespersons Digest publisher, highlighted Chain Reactions Africa’s achievements since the inception of SABRE Africa in 2017 as a testament to the rapid growth of the PR industry in Africa, driven by technological advancements.

The APRA conference concluded with the election of Arik Karani from Kenya as its new President, Dr. Michele Mekeme from Cameroon as Vice President, and Omoniyi Ibietan from Nigeria as Secretary-General. Certificates of Excellence were presented by Karani to Nigeria Customs Comptroller General, CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and NIPR President Dr. Ike Neliaku for their exemplary leadership qualities.