Winner of the National Award of Excellence for the Development of Communication (awarded by the State of Côte d'Ivoire), Michel Russel Lohoré is a familiar face in the Ivorian media landscape. He was a contributor to Fraternité Matin, the only Ivorian daily newspaper at the time, before the advent of multiparty politics in 1990. A journalist and public relations professional, he made a name for himself between 1993 and 1999 with his intimate portraits of major players in the Ivorian economic and political scene (more than 300 portraits to his credit in the weekly Le Réveil Hebdo).
After serving as editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper L'Opinion, he was head of advertising for the Fraternité Matin Group for six years, then head of public relations for the press group for three years.
Michel Russel Lohoré was also first vice president of the UNJCI (National Union of Journalists of Côte d'Ivoire) and, for eight years, president of the organizing committee of the Ebony Awards (the annual gala evening that has honored the country's best journalists since 1993). A member of the Lille Press Club (France), he is the Founding President of the APEFA (Association for the Promotion of Economic and Financial Press in Africa) and the FAPEF (African Forum for Economic and Financial Press), whose objective is to give development journalism a prominent place on the African continent.
You have launched numerous events in Côte d'Ivoire…
Passionate about economics and events, I am indeed the promoter of the Africa Economy Builders Forum & Awards, an event designed to celebrate the best African entrepreneurs and talents, and of ASCOM (Aces of Communication, Marketing, and Events), a major gathering of African communication professionals.
I am also the author of Who's Who in Côte d'Ivoire, an annual publication that aims to highlight and promote Ivorian excellence. Finally, I have been co-opted on several occasions to participate in the organization of international events, notably in New Delhi, London, and Paris.
You will soon be organizing the 9th edition of ASCOM. Can you tell us about the event?
ASCOM is a major gathering of communications professionals who are shaping Africa. The event was created in 2007, against a backdrop of socio-political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire. The idea was to promote communications professionals and raise awareness of the role they have to play.
The theme of the first edition was "the role of communication and marketing in the revival of the Ivorian economy" because it is important for us to encourage the population to become aware of the challenges of communication.
What are the ambitions for such an event today?
ASCOM is now a real platform for exchange, skill sharing, networking, and highlighting all communicators and talents in the profession. We bring together agencies, companies, local authorities, and institutions. Our goal is to encourage all these players to make communication a lever for performance on the African continent.
What are the outlines of the next edition?
I would like to emphasize that in our field, ASCOM is the only African event of this scale designed by an independent promoter. Open to the entire continent, the event is also open to other continents. To mark its 9th edition, we have chosen to further highlight its international scope.
We want to build bridges between our Ivorian and African talents and figures from the industry who come to us from abroad. In 2018, we welcomed Jacques Séguéla and Mercedes Erra. This year, the stage will be shared by Paul Emmanuel Reiffers, President and Founder of Mazarine Group, Stéphane Fouks, Vice President of Havas Group, Gilles Acogny, Managing Director of Acosphere Ltd, and Zeinab Badawi, Managing Director of Kush Communications, producer, and star presenter on BBC World News TV and BBC World Radio. We will also welcome personalities such as Fabrice Sawégnon (Voodoo Group), Ambofo Sakia (Agence Efées), and others.
We will also invite communication schools for the ASCOM training component.
What is the chosen theme?
After an edition entirely dedicated to women in 2019, we wanted to focus the next one on the theme "a new era, a new momentum." Even though, thanks to medical advances, we are breathing a little easier in this long period of pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis has turned the world upside down, including the world of communication. This crisis is forcing us to think differently about communication. Vital during this period, communication has also demonstrated its full power, both innovative and creative. To move forward, we wanted to take stock of the future of communication. The entire communication ecosystem (communicators, advertisers, institutions, etc.) must prepare for the future in order to help structure and professionalize the sector.
Since the creation of this event dedicated to communication, how do you view the evolution of this sector?
We have many reasons to be optimistic.
As witnesses of the times, we have seen careers forged over the years. We have experienced the blossoming of the sector, driven by many talented individuals, but many players have also entered the field without the necessary skills. Today, the sector and the professions that stem from it still lack a great deal of rigor. Many agencies have been created, but we can only observe a drain on our talent. Today, we must recover from the Covid crisis, which has had a major impact on players, particularly the largest communications agencies. No one has been spared. To do this, we must help and support the players, because the sector is very promising for the African continent and can be a vector for the creation of many jobs for the younger generation.
Here is the program for this hybrid event organized on June 9 in Abidjan (from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. GMT), held in person and online:
Conference: Sales and marketing at the service of business (Gilles Acogny, CEO of Acosphere Ltd)
Panel: A new era, a new momentum: how to build a culture of innovation?
ASCOM Inside: Companies and institutions present their initiatives and expertise.
The Big Conversation with Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers, President and Founder of Mazarine Group: Communication in the service of luxury, art, and culture.
Panel: Communication, a niche of opportunities: what training is needed to be competitive?
The Big Conversation with Stéphane Fouks, Vice President of Havas Group: What kind of communication is needed to accelerate economic development?
ASCOM Awards: an awards ceremony honoring professionals, agencies, companies, communities, and individuals who have distinguished themselves through talent, innovation, resilience, and perseverance.