Jinja City — Public relations practitioners have been urged to move beyond media relations and promotional activities to become strategic advisers in executive decision-making as the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) marks 50 years of professional practice.
The call featured prominently during PRAU’s Golden Jubilee celebrations at the Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja, where speakers highlighted the growing importance of communication in governance, public trust, financial inclusion and sustainability.
The celebrations will culminate in the 10th PRAU Excellence Awards gala on Friday, October 23, where outstanding practitioners, agencies and campaigns will be recognised.
Vincent K. Musubire, a former PRAU president who served from 1990 to 1997, said the profession had struggled for recognition in its early years, with many organisations misunderstanding its purpose.
“Some organisations viewed public relations as part of media handling. Others saw it as a function responsible for organising parties, while some regarded it as a way of defending an organisation when it had done something wrong,” said Musubire in the PRAU at 50 documentary.
He said the association had worked to establish public relations as a distinct professional function and demonstrate its value to organisational leadership.
“Our historical challenge was to ensure that the public relations function was recognised, including an appreciation of its purpose, importance and value,” he said.
According to him, practitioners should be involved in shaping institutional decisions rather than being restricted to communicating decisions already made by management.
“What we wanted to see was a recognition that public relations practitioners are important professionals who should be part of the executive decision-making process and represented in the boardroom,” he said.
Andrew Elwana, a senior communications official at the Bank of Uganda, said the central bank’s relationship with PRAU stretched back decades and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the association.
“When we were asked to sponsor this event and the Excellence Awards, it was never a question of whether we would participate. The question was how much we would contribute and which sponsorship package we would take,” Elwana said.
He said communication was important in explaining economic developments and the central bank’s role to the public, particularly amid changes in the foreign exchange market and wider economic conditions.
Elwana also urged the public to ensure that financial institutions and savings schemes were regulated by the appropriate authorities, warning that people risked losing their savings when they entrusted money to unregulated schemes.
“Imagine that your grandmother subscribes to a savings scheme, and it suddenly closes, taking all her savings with it, including the money she has saved for years,” he said.
“If you take one message from the Central Bank today, let it be this: make sure your financial institutions and savings schemes are regulated by the appropriate authority.”
Tadeo Atuhura, head of communications at the Microfinance Support Centre, said partnerships with communication professionals helped public institutions explain their mandates and services to communities.
“Our partnership with PRAU is very important because it enables us to reach the biggest drivers of our work: communication professionals who can disseminate information about the Government’s mandate and the services we provide,” Atuhura said.
He said the centre supports business development, training and financial programmes aimed at promoting wealth creation, enterprise development and job creation.
Atuhura clarified that the institution does not provide funds directly to individuals but works through groups, associations and microfinance institutions.
“When people work together in groups, the benefits can reach many more people than when support is provided to individuals separately,” he said.
Dr Julia Clare Olima Oyet, Chief Executive Officer of the Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda, highlighted the importance of public awareness in building confidence in regulated financial institutions.
Drawing on her management structure and crisis leadership experience, Dr Oyet demonstrated how strategic communication can be fully integrated into executive governance and operational decision-making.
She said people are more likely to use formal financial services when they understand how their savings are protected.
“When members of the public understand that their money is protected, they gain confidence in regulated financial institutions and are more willing to move their savings into the formal financial sector.”
Patrick Onen Ezaga, director of communications at the Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda (DPF), said public awareness was essential to building confidence in the formal financial sector.
“When members of the public understand that their money is protected, they gain confidence in regulated financial institutions and are more willing to move their savings into the formal financial sector,” Ezaga said.
In a presentation on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, Ezaga urged communication professionals to ensure sustainability is featured in their organisations’ operations and reporting.
“When you return from this conference and prepare your report for your boss, ESG should feature in it. If there is no mention of ESG in the report, then you have not yet started playing your role as a communicator in this area,” he said.
He cited practical measures such as reducing paper consumption, recycling waste and limiting water and energy wastage as ways organisations could translate sustainability commitments into action.
“Colleagues, you can only sell what you know,” Ezaga said, urging communicators to understand ESG principles before promoting them.
PRAU was established in 1976 to bring together professionals in public relations and communication. The association introduced its Excellence Awards in 2009 to recognise achievements by practitioners and organisations in the sector.
