PRAU@50: Building a Stronger Profession for the Next 50 Years
COMMENT | 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 the contribution of practitioners across generations and reflect on the institution we want to build for the next 50 years.
PRAU’s journey has been shaped by the dedication of former presidents, governing councils, members and partners who have given their time and expertise to advance the profession. I pay tribute to colleagues who have passed on and acknowledge those whose service has brought the association this far. We inherited a valuable foundation, and our responsibility is to strengthen it for those who will come after us.
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.
Professionalising public relations practice
One of the most important priorities for the future is the proposed Public Relations and Communications Practitioners Bill. As communication becomes increasingly central to organisational leadership, public accountability and stakeholder relationships, the profession needs a clear framework that supports ethical practice, professional standards and accountability.
The proposed legislation is intended to advance the professionalisation and regulation of public relations and communications practice in Uganda. It would provide an opportunity to establish clearer expectations for practitioners, strengthen ethical conduct and create a more robust basis for addressing professional misconduct.
This work must be approached with careful consultation, broad professional participation and respect for the legal processes required to establish an effective framework. The legislation is not yet in place, but advancing it remains an important part of the conversation about the profession’s future.
Professional recognition must be matched by professional responsibility. Practitioners should understand the standards expected of them, appreciate the consequences of unethical conduct and remain committed to accuracy, integrity and accountability. PRAU’s ambition is to help build a profession that institutions and the public can trust.
Adapting to a changing communication landscape
The tools of our profession have changed remarkably over the past five decades. There was a time when gathering a story required a notebook, pen and film camera, followed by lengthy processes to prepare material for publication. Today, a smartphone can capture photographs, record video, produce written content and publish it to a global audience within minutes.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating this transformation, creating opportunities to improve research, productivity, content development and analysis. These advances also demand discernment. Technology can support our work, but professional judgement, strategic thinking, originality and ethical responsibility remain essential.
I am reminded of this by my seven-year-old son, who recently prepared and uploaded a school project using a phone before asking me to help print it. His experience reflects how naturally younger generations are adapting to digital tools. As practitioners, we must remain curious, willing to learn and prepared to adapt.
Our task is not simply to keep pace with technology. It is to ensure that communication remains purposeful, credible and responsive to the people and institutions we serve.
Building a stronger and more sustainable PRAU
A professional association must demonstrate the value it offers its members. This has informed our efforts to strengthen PRAU’s institutional capacity, improve service delivery and make membership more accessible.
We have moved into dedicated office space and strengthened the secretariat with full-time staff, including an operations manager. This provides greater continuity in managing the association’s affairs and enables the governing council to focus on strategic oversight and professional development.
We have also introduced a membership database and digitised most of our processes. Members can subscribe online, receive electronic certificates and digital membership cards with QR codes providing access to services, and register and pay for professional learning programmes.
These improvements are about more than convenience. They help us maintain accurate membership records, communicate more effectively with members and build an association that is responsive to their professional needs.
Accountability is 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, alongside a clear understanding of the priorities those resources support.
Financial sustainability is another essential part of this work. Historically, PRAU relied on membership subscriptions. We are broadening our income base through paid continuing professional development programmes, professional events and other initiatives that create value for members while generating resources for reinvestment.
We have also introduced a members’ savings scheme, with the longer-term ambition of supporting investments that benefit the association. Some collections are already held in unit trusts. These initiatives inform the business-oriented strategic plan we are developing, which links membership value, effective operations and financial sustainability.
Our long-term ambition is to establish a permanent PRAU home with a resource centre for professional learning, meetings and industry engagement. We currently rent office space and hire venues for activities. Owning our premises would provide a lasting institutional asset and expand our capacity to serve members.
Investing in the next generation
The future of public relations depends on how well we prepare the practitioners who will carry it forward.
PRAU is strengthening engagement with universities to connect academic learning with professional practice. Students need opportunities to understand how communication operates within organisations, how professional relationships are built and how practitioners navigate real-world responsibilities.
We have encouraged experienced practitioners to welcome interns and share their knowledge. Our mentorship programmes also connect senior professionals with emerging practitioners seeking career guidance. We are running mentorship cohorts, with capacity for four annually.
Mentorship is particularly important in a profession where experience, judgement and professional relationships are built over time. A young practitioner should have access to guidance, constructive feedback and opportunities to learn from those who have navigated the industry before them.
By investing in students and early-career professionals, we are helping build a pipeline of capable, ethical and confident communicators for Uganda and the wider region.
Strengthening professional practice in the digital age
The expansion of digital communication has increased both the reach and the responsibility of public relations practitioners. Every publication contributes to an organisation’s public record, while the speed at which information travels makes accuracy and verification more important than ever.
Practitioners must understand their organisations’ communication strategies, brand guidelines, social media policies and applicable laws. They must also appreciate that content can remain accessible long after it has been deleted from an original platform.
Artificial intelligence, citizen journalism and user-generated content are now part of our operating environment. These developments make professional judgement indispensable. We must verify information, distinguish facts from speculation and communicate transparently, particularly when responding to incidents or emerging crises.
Where information is still being established, a holding statement can acknowledge an issue while allowing time for verification and a substantive response. A well-prepared communicator understands when to speak, what can responsibly be said and when further confirmation is required.
PRAU has an important role in promoting these practices through professional learning, mentorship, ethical guidance and continued engagement across the industry.
Celebrating our profession and strengthening regional connections
Our Golden Jubilee programme is an opportunity to bring practitioners together to reflect, exchange knowledge and celebrate excellence. We are preparing a week-long gathering in Jinja from 20 to 23 October 2026, bringing together professionals, institutions and partners to discuss the evolution and future of public relations.
The programme will include professional engagements, networking opportunities and the PR Excellence Awards on 23 October. Under the theme, Celebrating 50 Years of Professional Excellence; Shaping the Future of Public Relations, the celebrations will recognise achievement while encouraging practitioners to raise the bar for the profession.
Our engagement extends beyond Uganda. Invitations to colleagues across East Africa, the wider African public relations community and international networks will create opportunities for knowledge exchange, partnerships and professional collaboration.
We are also looking ahead to regional and continental engagements, including an East African conference in Kenya and an African public relations gathering in Nigeria. These connections are important as communication challenges, technologies and professional standards increasingly transcend national borders.
The Golden Jubilee is therefore not only about looking back at where PRAU has come from. It is about positioning the association and its members to participate meaningfully in the future of the profession.
The next 50 years
As we look ahead, I want to see a profession with a stronger legal and ethical framework, broader professional recognition, deeper investment in young practitioners and a financially sustainable association with a permanent home.
I want PRAU to remain a place where practitioners across sectors can learn, build relationships, exchange ideas and contribute to the advancement of their profession. I want employers, institutions and partners to recognise the value of sound communication and the expertise required to deliver it. Above all, I want our members to uphold the integrity and standards that earn public confidence.
These ambitions will require collective commitment. The governing council cannot achieve them alone. Members must participate, practitioners must uphold professional standards, academic institutions must continue preparing future talent, and partners must recognise the value of investing in the profession.
At 50, PRAU has both a legacy to protect and a future to shape. We honour those who built the association by continuing their work, strengthening the institution and creating opportunities for the next generation.
Our Golden Jubilee is a celebration of how far we have come. Its greater significance will be measured by what we build next.
I congratulate the PRAU fraternity upon this big milestone.
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Irene Nakasiita, is President of the Public Relations Association ,Uganda (PRAU). She is also a Director Communications at Uganda Red Cross Society.
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