Transparency in public sector administration as well as public involvement in policy making revolves around three fundamental elements of good governance. These are information, advocacy or persuasion and engagement of the citizenry. All these call for a vibrant Public Relations (PR) machinery supported by enabling legislations to ensure that citizens can access information without undue restriction.
In pursuit of this endeavour, countries are putting in place pieces of legislation aimed at enhancing engagement with their citizens. For instance, Malawi has to be commended for having the Access to Information Act, which has provisions on how information can be accessed by the citizenry. As to how Malawians have seized this opportunity to exercise their democratic right is a subject of another day.
Of course, the number of countries in Africa like Zambia has similar laws. But the Zambian government has gone a step ahead by assenting to a law that is going to grease-oil this access to information. Recently that country’s Parliament passed of a law governing the profession of public relations (PR), courtesy of Zambia Public Relations Association (ZAPRA) which advocated for the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC) Bill. President Hakainde Hichilema has since assented to the bill.
This means that the ZIPRC Act will now accord the PR and communication practice in Zambia professional and legal status.
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The development should, therefore, be a source of immense joy and comfort to the PR fraternity in Zambia and beyond. According to ZIPRC, formerly Zapra, the PR profession has, over the years, not enjoyed the significance it rightly deserved in the public discourse. Unlike other professions, PR practice is, just like in Malawi, relegated on the lowest realms of institutional hierarchy. It has always been riddled with negative perceptions.
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With this law in place, those in the field of PR and communication will be expected to execute their roles with utmost sense of professionalism. That is, only qualified and competent practitioners will be licenced and permitted to operate while ZIPRC will be working towards shaping those in training and aspiring to venture into PR and communication practice. Furthermore, ZIPRC will now have the legal backing to offer professional guidance on matters of PR and communication in all sectors from business, corporate to government entities.
This will further enable the PR practice to develop sustainable standards and ethics of the profession. Eventually, this will improve quality of service delivery by the profession.
But why was it necessary for the Zambia Government to spend so much energy and resources on such a law when it already has the Access to Information law? Well, having such a law is a step in the right direction because PR is an enabler of good governance and accountability. It facilitates direct and smooth dialogue between citizens and their governments using various platforms. Evidently, the Zambia government is already riding on the momentum as it strives to strategically leverage its reputation and competitive advantage on the global arena.
The enactment of ZIPRC, on the other hand, underscores the critical role that leadership could play in setting the tone in the promotion of free flow of information. In fact, the governed feel empowered when they are equipped with accurate public information that would enable them to participate meaningfully in public affairs.
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Zambia follows in the footsteps of Nigeria and Ghana. Nigeria has a PR and communication law which led to the birth of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in 1990. While in Ghana, the successful inclusion of a PR and communication provision in the country’s National Communications Act in 2001 led to the establishment of the Ghana Institute of Public Relations.
It is, therefore, possible for Malawi to pick a leaf from Zambia and the other countries that have similar laws, in addition to the Access to Information Act . This is for the simple reason that having a law on PR and communication in Malawi’s statutes would galvanise government’s quest for professionalism in the way PR and communication practice is conducted.
Research has shown that a well-defined PR and communication approach has the potential to solve some societal and organisational problems. In other words, PR is a powerful instrument for the reconstruction, transformation of industrial, technological, educational, political and socio-economic development of a country. Malawi requires a guided approach to PR and communication. This is necessary, especially now, when the public sphere is dominated by negative narratives. Such negative narratives have a negative effect on the country’s reputation.
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