Photo by Hussein Abdullahi/KNA.
Public Relations (PR) practitioners in public and private sectors have been urged to progressively work with the government in delivering the Big Four Agenda.
The Big Four Agenda is a government economic blueprint leveraged on accelerating socio-economic growth in the country.
The Principal Secretary (PS) for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Ms. Fatuma Hirsi Mohammed said PR specialists have a critical role to play in the delivery of the Big Four Agenda of Food Security and Nutrition, Affordable Housing, Universal healthcare and Manufacturing championed by the national government.
“We are alive to the fact that the Big Four Agenda will remain heavily reliant on PR which champion public interest as the government seeks to rally support from all stakeholders’ she said.
The PS said this on Thursday when she addressed the annual summit for Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) held at Prideinn Paradise Beach Resort in Mombasa.
Ms. Hirsi observed that the basic awareness effort for the big four agenda has been well delivered but a lot more needs to be done.
She said the government has made tremendous progress in the implementation of strategic programs and policies under the economic transformation agenda by strengthening the resilience of the economy through laying a solid foundation for industrialization as envisaged in the vision 2030.
“To accelerate industrialization the country aims to address the remaining bottlenecks that continue to hold the economy from achieving its full potential by focusing on the big four agenda plan over the next few years’ she noted.
The PS at the same time welcomed a Bill by the PRSK to be presented in parliament in readiness for the establishment of a law to regulate the sector and guide the operation of PR practitioners.
She said the legal regulatory framework will in the long run build capacity in the PR sector and instill professional ethics and discipline.
The PRSK with close to 1000 members drawn from the public and private sectors was established in 1971 and serves as the professional body guiding the PR practice in the country.
Other speakers at the PR annual forum included by Chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Stephen Kirogo, the PRSK Chairperson, Jane Gitau and the African Public Relations Association (APRA) Chairperson, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya.
Badejo-Okusanya, a Nigerian PR guru said APRA is the umbrella body for the practice of public relations in Africa and has its goals as selling positive Africa through the instruments of its profession.
He said APRA boasts of both individual and national public relations associations as members from across 55 nation states of Africa.
By Hussein Abdullahi
