MOMBASA—South African creative boutique Retroviral and the South African operation of global public relations agency We. Communications have been named PRovoke Media’s African Agencies of the Year for 2025. Both firms will receive their trophies at the African SABRE Award ceremony, which takes place on June 12 in Mombasa, Kenya, as part of the African Public Relations Association meeting.

PRovoke Media named the two Agencies of the Year—the first time we have awarded two trophies for African agencies—as standout in our new 10 Best Public Relations Firms in Africa list, which also includes: Blast Burson of Mauritius: South African firms Clockwork and Razor; the African operations of multinationals Burson and Edelmanl; Glass House PR of Nigeria; pan-African network Irvine Partners; and public affairs specialist Ethicore.

“Our 10 Best list shows the increasing depth and specialization of firms in Africa, with winners from several major markets and several different specialties,” says Paul Holmes, editor of PRovoke Media. “These are firms that are innovative storytellers, using digital and social media and a wide range of content to tell those stories.”

The African list is part of PRovoke’s broader ranking of public relations firms across the EMEA region, including previously published lists of the 50 Best Agencies in the UK, the 50 Best Agencies in Continental Europe, and the 10 Best Agencies in the Middle East.

Says Holmes, “These lists are different from other rankings and more authoritative than other lists because it is based entirely on the knowledge and judgment of our experienced editorial team, who conducted thousands of discussions with PR agency leaders and their clients over the course of year and have an unparalleled understanding of the PR agency landscape.

“There is no fee for inclusion, the lists are entirely merit based, and we select only those firms that have earned a strong reputation based on one or more of our five key criteria: rapid growth and financial performance; a track record of exceptional work; an outstanding workplace culture; thought leadership and the development of new knowledge; or innovation in the technology and tools of the profession.”