Friday, March 29, 2024

Hamukale counsel PR practitioners in Zambia

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PUBLIC Relations (PR) and Communication Specialists have been urged
to work with the Government in exploiting appropriate channel of
communication to mitigate hate speech and contempt among citizens in
Zambia.

Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale said the country’s General
Elections were over and therefore it was important for PR
practitioners and Communication experts to assist in ensuring that
hate speech and contempt among citizenry was discouraged with a view
to promote national unity.

Dr Hamukale was speaking at David Livingstone Safari Lodge in
Livingstone Tuesday when he officially opened the 5th Zambia
Association of Public Relations (ZAPRA) Public Relations and
Communications Conference.

The Conference, which has attracted PR and Communication specialists
across Zambia, is being held under the theme the “The role of
Communications in Regional Integration”.

“I would like encourage you as experts to work with the Government in
exploiting appropriate channel of communication to ensure that hate
speech and contempt among the citizenry is discouraged,” Dr Hamukale
said.

He applauded the efforts of ZAPRA in promoting professionalism among
its members which portrays a positive image not just of corporations
but ultimately the nation at large.

Dr Hamukale also urged PR and Communication specialists to advise
Government leaders on the importance of reaching out to stakeholders
within and outside the country.

“African countries cannot achieve meaningful economic growth if they
do not employ well formulated communication strategies,” he said.

Dr Hamukale also said he would be happy if the Ministry of Tourism and
Arts partnered with Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) as well as Zambia
Institute of Marketing (ZIM) and ZAPRA to market Livingstone’s tourism
abroad.

Speaking at the same meeting, ZAPRA president Davies Mupenda said PR
and Communication specialists were alarmed to see certain quarters of
society twist facts to suit their agenda or abuse freedom of
expression which was guaranteed in the Zambian constitution.

Mr Mupenda said negative publicity could affect the
country’s ability to attract tourists and investors.

He also said PR was important at national level as all countries
needed goodwill from their stakeholders including their citizens as
well as neighboring countries  and the international  community.

“Professional PR is factual and objective. To this end, we reiterate
our call for organisations to employ qualified PR practitioners and
use these professionals to come up with appropriate communication
strategies.

“It is sad that some organisations sideline PR practitioners and only
remember this cadre of employees when scandals or crisis within their
organisations are exposed by the media or authorities in firefighting
manner,” Mr Mupenda said.

Livingstone Mayor Eugene Mapuwo said organisations would find it
difficult to operate in the absence of PR and Communication
specialists.

1 COMMENT

  1. This Minister is a performer, just in few weeks of his appointment he is talking sense everyday, please Doc continue and let you not join UPND failures to rob us of intellectuals like you

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