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Public relations body seeks legal recognition
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa (2nd left) with some members of PRAU at the symposium in Kampala on June 7, 2024. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- A PRAU draft Bill has been handed to an independent Member of Parliament who will soon seek leave of Parliament to table it before the House. Meanwhile, Mr Tayebwa took a swipe at some online media influencers and the so-called self-proclaimed PR agents, whom he accused of being unpatriotic.
Just months before its Golden Jubilee anniversary, the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) is seeking recognition as an independent professional body.
PRAU is one of the oldest associations in the country but has never been legally recognised as a professional body since its founding in 1975.
With more than 500 members from both private and public agencies, the association’s leadership under the auspices of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance is drafting the PRAU Practitioners’ Bill to streamline the sector.
Delivering a keynote address during the 3rd annual National Public Relations Symposium held in Kampala on June 7, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, expressed optimism that once the law is enacted, it would help weed out masquerades in the PR profession.
“I understand you would want your association to be a professional body. Please let us work together, put together your thoughts, and then we can see how best we can recognise you as a professional body clearly backed by the law. This will help weed out pretenders and wrong elements in the profession,” said Mr Tayebwa.
As earlier reported by this publication, a PRAU draft Bill has been handed to an independent Member of Parliament who will soon seek leave of Parliament to table it before the House. Meanwhile, Mr Tayebwa took a swipe at some online media influencers and the so-called self-proclaimed PR agents, whom he accused of being unpatriotic.
He said the social media influencers are not giving the country a good public image by highlighting what makes Uganda stand out such as its tourism sector.
He appealed to public relations professionals to present a better national image to the world for the good of the economy.
“Help us shape the national image. If you don’t agree with your government, at least agree with your country,” said Mr Tayebwa.
The symposium that brought together public relations officers, the academia, chief executive officers, and marketers across the country focused on ways to best advance public relations excellence through emerging digital trends.
Ms Tina Wamala, the president of PRAU, noted that although technology is a great communication enabler in public relations, most PR officers consider it a threat and are not harnessing bigger ICT opportunities.
Currently, the sector is challenged by Artificial Intelligence (AI) that can execute digital PR, digital marketing tools, and the complexity of digital data analytics.
She expressed optimism that by providing evidence-based PR, they could demonstrate the contribution they are making to the agencies they work for.
“Over the last 15 years, we have fought so hard to get PR in the boardroom. We are on the decision making table, but now it’s about showing impact. We want to position PR as an impactful function that is going to support organisational performance,” said Ms Wamala.
