How BHM Group Is Shaping The Future Of PR in Africa – By Adejoke Folayan

When BHM launched the Nigeria PR Report on January 29, 2016, it was revolutionary. Before its launch, there was no proper documentation on the innovation and trends in the Nigerian PR & Communications industry. The report is now an authoritative voice in PR measurement and evaluation, supporting practitioners in Nigeria in navigating their careers and the industry.

Five years after the launch of the first Nigerian PR Report, BHM Group is expanding the report to cover the entire African continent. According to the group, it aspires to create a report with an in-depth grasp of the continent’s business, technology, commercial, and communications landscape.

There is a need for an African PR Report because, despite the growth of the African public relations industry, there is no report that assesses how it has shaped consumer and social behaviour on the continent. Most practitioners have to resort to individual case studies for brands and campaigns that are not objective.

The lack of proper reports is not unique to the Public Relations sector. Although Africa accounts for 12.5% of the world’s population, it produces less than 1% of global research output.

The new African PR report will be released in July 2022. It will provide an avenue for African practitioners to accurately track, measure, and evaluate the growth of the African marketing communications industry.

The continent has caught up to the rest of the world due to the pandemic. This is most evident in the media and the new consumer class. 2020 and 2021 saw the rise of the influencer, the demand for socially responsible brands, an ever-growing tech-space, and a very young middle-working class.

With an expected GDP growth of 3.8% in 2022, the Sub-Saharan region is expected to attract more investors. Although South Africa, Nigeria, and Angola make up about half of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Seychelles are expected to see well above the 3.8% growth projected.

Data in Africa is not timely, is of poor quality, and is fairly accurate. This makes it difficult for practitioners to make data-driven decisions, since individual agencies that might have a bias in the results usually provide the data. Also, these case studies are conducted for brands and campaigns and may not be applicable in other situations.

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BHM’s report will assist industry practitioners in making decisions that are not just data-driven but also objective.

BHM Group is expected to partner with top agencies across the continent in creating the report, so the outcome is expected to be clear, concise, and authoritative. Also, given the current state of the industry, it will quickly become an authoritative voice, providing insights into the African ecosystem and competing with its counterparts across the world.

Adejoke Folayan is a writer, and PR & Comms Associate living in Lagos, Nigeria