Uganda Civil Aviation Authority gladly hosted members of the Uganda Public Relations Association (PRAU) for a familiarisation/benchmarking visit on Friday, May 26, 2023 and had the opportunity to showcase services/facilities and on-going projects at Entebbe International Airport. The Authority’s Public Affairs department also made a comprehensive presentation on crisis management and lessons learnt from previous experiences. The engagement was fruitful with candid sharing of experiences amongst PR professionals.
“We are always delighted to receive delegations from such professional bodies because it gives us an opportunity to share with them what we are doing and get valuable feedback for continuous improvement for the benefit of Ugandans and all the users of Entebbe International Airport,” said the Manager Procurement, Mr. Godfrey Lutimba Matovu as he delivered the UCAA Director General’s remarks to the members.
He added that whenever key stakeholders like members of PRAU are furnished with the right information in relation to the activities being undertaken at Entebbe International Airport and the plans for the future, they become brand ambassadors to convey the right message that builds the image of the country.
UCAA is a long-standing corporate member partner of PRAU for over 20 years, and has witnessed the positive impact of this collaboration.
“UCAA will continue to partner with all professional bodies in Uganda by encouraging all staff to register through mentorship and subscription to the profession bodies,” said Mr. Matovu.
The PRAU President, Ms Tina Wamala expressed gratitude to UCAA for hosting members of PRAU and sharing with them on the best practices in Crisis Management.
Peter Kaujju of UMEME, one of the PRAU members who participated in the benchmark, moderated the Question and Answer session and commended UCAA’s Public Affairs department for nipping various crisis situations in the bud throughthe various stakeholder engagements highlighted in a presentation delivered by UCAA’s Manager Public Affairs, Vianney Luggya titled “Aviation moment of truth – how the airport social media crisis unfolded.”
Earlier on, Luggya told fellow PR Practitioners that in times of crisis, the most important steps involved “taking action, communicating consistently and in a timely manner, drawing lessons for better management of future situations, stakeholder engagements, acknowledging feedback and being honest/sticking to the truth.”