At 50, I want PRAU to have a stronger legal and ethical framework, broader professional recognition, greater investment in young practitioners and a financially sustainable association with a permanent home. I want it to remain a place where professionals across sectors learn, build relationships and contribute to the advancement of their industry.
By Irene Nakasiita
As the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) marks 50 years, we celebrate a profession that has evolved alongside Uganda’s institutions, economy, media and society. Our Golden Jubilee is an opportunity to honour those who laid the foundation, recognise practitioners across generations and reflect on the association we want to build for the next 50 years.
PRAU’s journey has been shaped by former presidents, governing councils, members and partners who have dedicated their time and expertise to advancing the profession. We honour those who have passed on and acknowledge everyone whose service has brought us this far. Our responsibility is to strengthen the foundation we inherited for those who will follow.
As president, I see this milestone not simply as a celebration of longevity, but as a call to build a more professional, relevant and sustainable association.
One of our priorities is the proposed Public Relations and Communications Practitioners Bill, which seeks to advance professionalisation and regulation through clearer standards, ethical conduct and accountability. As communication becomes increasingly central to organisational leadership and public trust, practitioners must uphold accuracy, integrity and professionalism.
The proposed legislation requires broad consultation and adherence to the necessary legal processes. It is not yet in place, but advancing this conversation remains important to the profession’s future. Professional recognition must go hand in hand with responsibility, ensuring that institutions and the public can trust those entrusted with managing communication.
The profession has also undergone remarkable technological change. From notebooks, pens and film cameras to smartphones capable of capturing and publishing content worldwide within minutes, our tools have transformed how we work. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this shift, offering opportunities to improve research, productivity, content development and analysis.
However, technology cannot replace professional judgement, strategic thinking, originality and ethical responsibility. My seven-year-old son recently prepared and uploaded a school project using a phone before asking me to help print it. His experience illustrates how naturally younger generations are adapting to digital tools. As practitioners, we must remain curious, willing to learn and prepared to adapt while ensuring communication remains purposeful and credible.
Building a stronger PRAU also requires demonstrating tangible value to members. We have moved into dedicated office space, strengthened the secretariat with full-time staff, including an operations manager, and digitised most of our processes.
Members can subscribe online, receive electronic certificates and digital membership cards with QR codes, and register and pay for professional learning programmes. These improvements enhance service delivery, improve record-keeping and make the association more responsive to members’ needs.
Accountability remains equally important. At our recent annual general meeting, we presented audited accounts and obtained approval of our annual budgets. Members deserve transparency in how their subscriptions and other contributions are managed.
We are also broadening our income beyond membership subscriptions through continuing professional development programmes, professional events and other initiatives that generate resources for reinvestment. Our members’ savings scheme, which includes collections held in unit trusts, forms part of our longer-term ambition to support investments that benefit the association.
These initiatives inform the business-oriented strategic plan we are developing, linking membership value, efficient operations and financial sustainability. Our ultimate ambition is to establish a permanent PRAU home with a resource centre for professional learning, meetings and industry engagement. Owning premises would give the association a lasting institutional asset and expand its capacity to serve members.
The future of public relations also depends on preparing the next generation. We are strengthening partnerships with universities to connect academic learning with professional practice and encouraging experienced practitioners to welcome interns and share their knowledge.
Our mentorship programmes connect senior professionals with emerging practitioners seeking career guidance. We are running mentorship cohorts, with capacity for four annually. Such programmes help young communicators develop professional judgement, build relationships and learn from those who have navigated the industry before them.
In the digital age, the speed and reach of communication have increased practitioners’ responsibilities. Every publication contributes to an organisation’s public record, and content can remain accessible long after it has been deleted from its original platform.
Practitioners must understand their organisations’ communication strategies, brand guidelines, social media policies and applicable laws. Artificial intelligence, citizen journalism and user-generated content make verification and sound judgement indispensable. We must distinguish facts from speculation and communicate transparently, particularly during crises. Where information is still being established, a holding statement can acknowledge an issue while allowing time for verification.
PRAU has a responsibility to promote these practices through professional training, mentorship, ethical guidance and engagement across the industry.
Our Golden Jubilee provides an opportunity to bring practitioners together to reflect, exchange knowledge and celebrate excellence. We are preparing a week-long gathering in Jinja from October 20 to 23, 2026, under the theme “Celebrating 50 Years of Professional Excellence; Shaping the Future of Public Relations”.
The programme will include professional engagements, networking and the PR Excellence Awards on October 23. We have also invited colleagues from across East Africa, the wider African public relations community and international networks to strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Looking ahead, regional and continental engagements, including an East African conference in Kenya and an African public relations gathering in Nigeria, will help practitioners exchange ideas and respond to challenges that increasingly transcend national borders.
At 50, I want PRAU to have a stronger legal and ethical framework, broader professional recognition, greater investment in young practitioners and a financially sustainable association with a permanent home. I want it to remain a place where professionals across sectors learn, build relationships and contribute to the advancement of their industry.
Achieving these ambitions requires collective commitment. Members must participate actively, practitioners must uphold professional standards, academic institutions must prepare future talent, and partners must recognise the value of investing in the profession.
PRAU has a legacy to protect and a future to shape. We honour those who built the association by strengthening the institution and creating opportunities for the next generation.
Our Golden Jubilee celebrates how far we have come. Its greater significance will be measured by what we build next.
I congratulate the PRAU fraternity on this milestone.
Irene Nakasiita is the president of the Public Relations Association of Uganda