The Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) is set to hold yet another edition of the PRAU Nite, a professional development and networking event at Hotel Africana today (Thursday).
This time, the public relations practitioners are set to engage in a discussion with top executives of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) led by the Head of the Ugandan SGR Project, Eng Kasingye Kyamugambi.
Kyamugambi will deliver a keynote address titled “Infrastructure as an Engine of Economic Transformation for Uganda”. The gist of the presentation will address the importance of globally competitive infrastructure.
The SGR is an infrastructure project whose purpose is to build an efficient railway system that will stimulate industrialization, reduce unemployment and transform Uganda.
The Vision of the SGR is to ‘Develop a modern and efficient railway transport systems in Uganda’, while its Mission is ‘To develop in a cost-effective manner the SGR network in line with the regional SGR Protocol and the Greater Kampala Light Rail Mass Transit (LRT) system’.
Cynthia Mpanga, the PRAU President was upbeat about the upcoming PRAU Nite engagement with the SGR team and stressed the Project’s importance to Uganda.
“When it comes to economic and social development, the importance of world-class transportation and infrastructure is key,” she said.
“In order for Uganda to improve its competitiveness in the region and in Africa, it requires the undertaking of a project such as the SGR,” she added.
Mpanga notes that PRAU has keen interest in the progress of the SGR project since it will ensure logistics move at a faster, cheaper pace which will, in turn, spur economic growth.
“The SGR project is key for us as an association because it will translate into the growth of our economy, and an increased demand for public relations practitioners,” Mpanga said.
Diana Apio, Head Public Relations & Corporate Affairs at SGR stated that; “The SGR is a multimillion-dollar project and we know that this project has elicited a lot of attention and interest from various stakeholders”.
Apio said that engagements such as the PRAU Nite will help as many Ugandans to appreciate why the government is undertaking such a huge investment and what it means for the country once completed.
The PRAU Nite is free for PRAU members. Non-members will be expected to pay only Shs 20,000.
PRAU is the umbrella public relations body of Uganda having been set up to uplift the standards in and promote the public relations profession in the country.
Membership is open to all PR and communications practitioners, business enterprises, SMEs, government bodies, PR agencies, NGO’s, students pursuing PR related courses and in-house PR departments.
