Flow is increasingly working across Africa for partners such as the African Union, GIZ, the United Nations and developmental agencies.
As the CTO of Flow, my work is typically behind my desk, so it was extra-special to travel to Algeria with our head of PR, Caroline Smith, to begin the task of implementing a communications strategy developed for Afripol by the Flow team.
Our brief: conduct a series of communications workshops, shoot a corporate video and conduct a photoshoot with Afripol, “the Interpol of Africa”. And, of course, make friends and create open communication channels focused on success.
“You’re going to Algeria? I’ve never been but always wanted to go,” became the standard response among friends and family when we mentioned the trip. Algeria remains one of North Africa’s most intriguing yet inaccessible destinations: strict visa restrictions and years of instability have kept most travellers away, while neighbours such as Morocco and Tunisia have positioned themselves more aggressively for tourism.
When I later asked locals in Algeria why there were no tourists, they shrugged and said, “Why do we need tourists? We have oil.” (Petrol costs about R6 or 34 US cents per litre, and long-distance taxi rides are dirt cheap.)
It wasn’t easy to get there because there are no direct flights from South Africa. We opted to connect via Paris, which meant flying past Algeria to get there – something Caroline took very personally!
Afripol coordinates law enforcement agencies across all 55 African Union member states, but a decade since its formal establishment in 2014, the organisation had reached that critical point where new institutions need brand consolidation.
We worked with it to design a new website that is modern and clean, reflecting the serious work it does fighting transnational crime and terrorism across the continent. It’s due to go live later this year.
We also developed a full communications strategy with a rollout plan, set up new social media platforms to replace legacy accounts that no one could access any longer, and created an asset library for everything from PowerPoint presentations to business cards.
The real challenge starts now as we help them operationalise these guidelines across their entire organisation. Continental organisations face unique hurdles – getting content approvals across multiple time zones and languages, encouraging staff to prioritise digital presence and ensuring consistency.
We also organised professional headshots for the full team and video interviews with the leadership. The two videos we plan to produce will tell their story at different levels: a corporate showcase for the website, and a detailed piece covering Afripol’s history and various work areas.
English ranks third in Algeria after French and Arabic, so we worked with interpreters to ensure the workshops went smoothly. This actually improved the quality of our workshops because the interpreters understood both languages and often added context we would have missed, working directly in English. The sessions ran longer than usual, but the depth of conversation was far richer.
What struck me most about Algiers was how clean and organised the city feels, with police visible everywhere and everything running smoothly. The infrastructure impressed me, particularly coming from Johannesburg where municipal services often struggle.
However, while on the surface it is stable, clean and organised, it is by no means a liberal democracy. Much like many of its neighbours in North Africa and the Middle East, it has elections and opposition parties, but among a closed elite. We were also told not to take photographs in specifically designated security areas.
Every taxi driver we met was helpful and genuinely interested in where we came from, and what had brought us to Algeria. They reminded me of South African taxi drivers in their warmth, except these guys were even friendlier, which is saying something since South Africans are pretty welcoming people.
The contrast came with practical matters such as banking, where most ATMs only work with local bank cards, turning our daily cash needs into a proper treasure hunt. A hot tip is to draw cash at the airport. An even hotter tip is to draw euros at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport – euros are accepted pretty much everywhere.
After the workshop sessions, we took some leave and explored the ancient sites of Tipasa and Cherchell, where Roman ruins stretch along the Mediterranean coast. Tipasa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once a major trading port under the Romans, with its amphitheatre, basilicas and mosaics dating back to the 2nd century. The site sprawls across coastal cliffs, where ancient stones meet the sea in a setting that has barely changed since antiquity.
While exploring Tipasa’s ruins, I spotted local teenagers jumping off the rocky outcrops into the Mediterranean below. I had to try it. These same teenagers then helped me navigate the rocks to reach a large outcrop that towered over the water. Caroline watched from the shore, probably questioning my sanity (more like wondering about his medical insurance, says Caroline), as I plunged into the water. The “free climb” back up was a far tougher prospect; certainly, I’m no Alex Honnold.
Our taxi driver on the way back became an impromptu tour guide, taking us to the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania. The tomb allegedly holds Numidian Berber King Juba II and Queen Cleopatra Selene II, who ruled Numidia and Mauretania Caesariensis, except their remains have never been found. Cleopatra was the only daughter of Marc Antony and her super-famous mother, Cleopatra (“the OG”). You cannot go inside the tomb, but the site offers stunning 360-degree views of the Atlas mountains and the Mediterranean coast.
Now back in Johannesburg, we’re working closely with Afripol to get its message out to the rest of Africa and the world, starting with the imminent launch of the new website.