PDU Promotes Strategic Communications Across Government
The Presidential Delivery Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Media and the National School of Government, is conducting a four-day public relations training workshop from December 13th to 16th, 2023. The training is being attended by government public relations officers (PRO) in central government and quasi government agencies.
This training supports the three pillars of the Presidential Delivery Unit:
Communicating Around Presidential Priorities: The unit ensures that the government’s key priorities sitting in the government ministries are effectively communicated to the public, thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
Capacity Building for PROs: bridging the skills gap in the ministries by training PROs so as to enable them to function more effectively and deliver on their mandates.
Support to Wider Government Communication: The unit provides support to the broader government communication machinery, ensuring a consistent and unified message across all platforms and channels.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Oliver Kalabo
Participants will learn how to handle crisis communication effectively, utilize social media and other digital platforms for public communication, write effective press releases, and handle media relations. They will also gain insights into engaging stakeholders in government communication, understanding government systems, security, and protocols in government communication.
Speaking at the the training session on Thursday, Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit Ms. Kusobile Kamwambi expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Information and Media and the National School of Government for the collaboration that has brought together all the public relations officers in central government.
“this training will help us understand the challenges that the officers are facing and that they have the rights tools for the Job. This training will also provide an opportunity for the PROs to build skills in creating messages, becoming more proactive. Ours is to ensure that we add value to your work and remove the notion that government communication is business as usual.” Ms. Kamwambi said.
PDU Head Kusobile Kamwambi (left).
The guest of honor on Thursday, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Dr. Oliver Kalabo, equally expressed delight at officiating the training workshop. In his speech, he emphasized the need for the government to be proactive and not reactive in the dissemination of information to the public. He commended the collaboration between the Ministry of Information and Media, the Presidential Delivery Unit, and the National School of Government for organizing the workshop.
The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet stressed the importance of a well-organized and consistent approach to government communication, which is vital role to achieving the aspirations of the government, as embedded in the Eighth National Development Plan, from which the PDU’s Presidential Priorities are drawn.
Mr Kalabo emphasized that a strong work culture is the bedrock upon which high performance is built. It encompasses shared values, ethics, and a commitment to excellence. As public relations and communication officers, their dedication to cultivating a positive work culture within their teams will undoubtedly reflect in the quality of the messages they convey to the public.
Enhancing Strategic government communication is a Presidential Priority and the Presidential Delivery Unit and Ministry of Information and Media will work together to provide a robust approach to improving government communication,n of which this Public Relations Officers training is among the many solutions identified in the strategy.