About 130 participants, drawn from eight African countries, including Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya, the host country, attended the conference. There were also representatives from the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The conference, which was under the theme, "Unlocking Africa's Potential" was officially opened by the Vice President of the Republic of Kenya, Dr A. A. Moody Awori, MP, CGH. In all, 12 papers and speeches were presented, while four syndicate sessions were also held, at which the various issues raised were discussed.

At the end of the conference, participants came out with a 13-point resolution which read: Public Relations practitioners should support and get involved in continental and regional development initiatives such as NEPAD, EAC, SADC, AU AND ECOWAS.

Public Relations practitioners should support the dismantling of the legacies of corruption, political patronage and bad governance, through effective management of information to empower the citizenry to demand for accountability of their leaders, participate in the development process and change the perception of Africa.

The conference identified serious gaps in government communication, and enjoined African governments to recognize the role of Public Relations in the development agenda, and in developing appropriate legislative frameworks. The Public Relations practitioner should play a leading role in telling the African story the African way to market Africa's potential.

FAPRA should entrench Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Public Relations practice for the genuine welfare and development of communities in Africa.

National Public Relations associations should take the lead in the re-orientation of politicians and senior management on the role of Public Relations in government and public affairs in their various countries.

Public Relations practitioners in Africa should become part of the world campaign on accreditation and ethics as a means to enhancing professionalism in Public Relations practice on the continent.

FAPRA should collaborate with other continental and global public relations bodies so as to be part of the campaign on media transparency.

FAPRA should adopt the global approaches in communication including the use of ICT and adapt these to the African situation.

FAPRA should champion good governance and the use of Public Relations as a means to expanding the democratic space in Africa. This should include, influencing legislation on freedom and access to information on the continent.

The negative image the continent acquired over time due to slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and bad political leadership, is hindering the overall projection of Africa globally, thus inhibiting the efforts towards poverty reduction and economic recovery.

The role of Public Relations in the continent is not well appreciated, recognized and facilitated as a strategic toll in management and corporate governance. Public Relations practitioners should therefore be part of the strategic management team in the public and private sectors to provide the requisite counsel on communications, corporate image and reputation management.

Given the present perception of public relations on the continent, Public Relations practitioners should reposition the profession by developing programmes that are measurable so as to demonstrate their value and contribution to strategic leadership in the public and private sectors.

The conference considered the need for continuous training of public relations practitioners on the continent and recommended the acquisition of the requisite skills and knowledge to positively impact on the African societies.