A new pan-African association is born

It is certainly fantastic news that a regional federation is being set up to guide the development of the research sector in Africa. The existing regional federations – APRC, ARIA and EFAMRO – have all offered to share their know-how, as well as their experiences with setting up and running regional federations, to help the AMRA Management Committee on their journey. Below the AMRA Management Committee gives insight into the new federation… For some years now, research organisations and associations in Africa have been pushing – actually, pleading – for a representative pan-African organisation for market  research (including social and opinion polling research) that provides one port of call for and about market research in Africa, and promotes the interests of market research on the African continent, and beyond. So, we are ecstatic that the African Market Research Association (AMRA) is finally taking form, and it is a supreme honour to be part of this journey.  The AMRA Management Committee will now be getting all the AMRA ducks in a row, so that, in six months’ time, AMRA is able to provide a home for African market research associations who wish to join hands to ensure professionalism in the market research industry in Africa, share knowledge and skills across African markets and countries, promote African market research to the rest of the world, and, through partnerships with AMRA member associations, build the confidence of the rest of the world in African research.  The social and economic opportunities in Africa are enormous, and AMRA aims to facilitate access to and growth in African markets by ensuring socially and commercially valuable market research.  In the African spirit of Ubuntu, AMRA is what it is because of who we all are!  If you have any questions about AMRA, would like to comment on what AMRA aims to achieve, or if you want to give input about the way AMRA goes about achieving this undertaking, you can contact any of the AMRA Management Committee members (Abdel Wahab Chaoui for North Western Africa, Sami Ghabrial for North Eastern Africa, Jane Nzomo for Eastern Africa, Joy Uyanwune for Western Africa and Leonie Vorster for Southern Africa – by email at firstname@africamra.org).