A union of various government agencies has mutually agreed to enhance the publicity of their achievements thus far, stating that President Yoweri Museveni-led administration has done a lot, but not all of it has been duly publicised.
This was revealed yesterday during a fourth meeting of leaders of government agencies held at State House Investors’ Protection Unit (SHIPU) offices in Kampala and was chaired by Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, the Executive Director of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
“Some Ugandans are not even aware that Uganda has a second International airport (Kabaale), government agencies should commit more of their budgets towards communication to publicise these government achievements in all the local languages spoken and widely understood in places like West Nile and the Rwenzori sub-region,” Mr. Willis Bashaasha, the Director of Manifesto Implementation Unit, advised.
His recommendation was met with endorsement from among the leaders, who mutually agreed that indeed there is a need to step up efforts to ensure that all Ugandans from various dialects and all age groups are notified about government achievements in the languages that they are most fluent in.
Dr. Barirega suggested a testimonial approach of government beneficiaries to further tell these stories and also involvement of digital media platforms in propelling the message to far-flung corners of the country and the globe, as well as embracing social media influencers to drive this agenda, arguing that these online content creators of late also have audiences that are loyal to them.
“We pledge to continue,” Dr. Barirega said in response to Mr. Bashaasha’s call to enhance the impact of these regular meetings.
Dr. Barirega acknowledged the importance of having customised messages intended for various audiences such as the elites, youths, children, women and farmers, as well as other social or professional groupings in the most effective way possible.
“This information should be tailored for the various audiences that we seek to target. We have a plan to do a dissemination exercise on traditional media and social media platforms, but also baraazas under the Musevenomics concept. You are advised to use your PR officers to publicise what you are doing,” Dr. Barirega asserted.
The meeting attracted over twelve executives from the various government bodies who discussed a variety of cross-cutting issues.
During her presentation, Ms. Gloria Sebikari, Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU)’s Corporate Affairs Manager explained in detail the key activities being undertaken by the government in the Albertine region and shared key figures and statistics about the petroleum sector, which her entity regulates.