Hosted by the Public Relations Association of The Gambia (PRAG), the conference, which was held at the Sheraton Hotel & Spa in Kololi, attracted eminent dignitaries and state personalities, amongst whom were Her Excellency, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, Her Excellency the High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to The Gambia, Esther Audu, His Lordship, the chief justice of The Gambia, Abdul Karim Savage, and a number of Cabinet ministers. 

Theme of this year's meeting which also brought together eminent APRA personalities and delegates from all over the continent was "Climate Change and its impact on Public Relations." It featured several discussions and lectures on the challenges climate change poses to our environment and economies. 

The event came to an end with delegates adopting a communiqué entitled "The Banjul Declaration" as the focal point of their agenda in strengthening the organization in its fight against the adverse effects of climate change. Kate Bapela, president of APRA, in her closing remarks, observed that 'the Banjul Declaration', a six point communiqué, highlights APRA's recognition of the fact that in order to be an effective voice for the integration of the association as an umbrella organization, they should seek consultative and accreditation status at the African Union, and that "in pursuit of excellence and standards of the profession of public relations and communication, it will implement a continent wide fundamental professional training and development programme by the 1st of November 2009." 

Bapela revealed that APRA will institute a continuous professional development programme with the aim of ensuring that public relations and communications competencies are enhanced from time to time, in line with best practices, by 30th September 2009. She added that their intention is also to ensure that public relations and communication profession produces a crop of senior practitioners at the highest level of the profession, who will mentor and assist Africa in addressing its communication challenges through professional accreditation for senior executives. "Africa's growth," the APRA president went on, "has necessitated the need for efficient and effective communication at government and corporate level." According to her, the association subsequently hopes to provide a pool of public relations consultants to ensure that effective public relations and communications are implemented.  The Daily Observer learned that plans are under way to link the University of The Gambia (UTG) with two South African universities, to enable them discuss modalities for setting up of   a public relations department at the UTG, sometime in September this year.

 
Gambia & Nigeria charge APRA to expedite action on climate changeThe governments of both the Republic of The Gambia and the Federal Republic of Nigeria has called on APRA to accelerate action in the fight against the adverse effects climate change posses to our environment.In what looks like an ECOWAS  show of solidarity, both governments made this call through their representatives, during the farewell dinner party organized by the Public Relations Association of The Gambia (PRAG), to mark the end of the 22nd APRA conference in Banjul, at the Sheraton Hotel & Spa.

The minister of Youth and Sports, Hon Sheriff Gomez, who was the highest ranking Gambian official at the event, maintained that his government, under the able leadership of His Excellency, Sheik Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, is committed to addressing the negative impacts climate change has on our economies, noting that as previously expressed by Her Excellency, Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy, "Government is aware that climate change constitutes a real threat to the abilities of nations to achieve long term sustainable development and, for this reason, highlighting it as a subject of discussion in this conference is a very smart and laudable choice." 

He went further to call on delegates and the leadership of APRA to use all available means in their disposal as PR practitioners to help create more awareness on the issue of climate change and its impact on our populace. "APRA has a big role to play in driving the point of the need for concerted efforts and positive action now before it is too late. By your discipline, I urge you not to relent in your engagement of public relations skills in keeping alive the climate change agenda before governments, businesses, the media and other stakeholders," he reiterated. Hon Gomez then thanked participants for coming to The Gambia, wishing them safe return, on behalf of the Gambian government.