The Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Alex Kakooza, has called on government communicators to take a central role in shaping public trust and promoting service delivery through impactful storytelling.
Kakooza made the remarks while officially opening a two-day Government Communications and Public Relations Training Workshop at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), ADB Auditorium on Tuesday.
The training, organised by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, brought together public relations officers and communicators from across government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The focus is on strengthening communication systems and enhancing storytelling capacity within public institutions.
“Government work revolves around communication. It is not an add-on or support function — it is core to how government functions, and how citizens make sense of that function,” Kakooza said during the opening session.
He stressed that communicators are not just messengers, but the bridge between government policy and the daily lives of citizens.
“You are the bridge between government decisions and citizens’ everyday lives. You tell the story of government service—how it’s planned, delivered, and how it’s improving lives,” he added.
With the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) currently under implementation, the workshop seeks to align government communication to national goals of performance, accountability, and citizen engagement.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, also addressed the participants. She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to promoting unified, people-focused messaging across government.
“Our mandate is to ensure effective communication of government policies and programs and promote a national ideology for socio-economic transformation,” she said. “We envision a Uganda where citizens are well-informed and actively engaged, leveraging ICT to improve their lives and communities.”
Dr. Zawedde encouraged participants to embrace modern tools such as digital storytelling, citizen engagement platforms, and real-time dashboards to enhance transparency and public participation.
A key highlight of the training was a session by Frank Baine Mayanja, Senior Commissioner of Prisons, who challenged communicators to adopt a citizen-first mindset and lead with integrity and purpose in all public messaging.
The training, held under the theme "Building Strategic and People-Centered Storytelling within Public Service," emphasizes a Whole-of-Government approach to communication. This aims to ensure coherence, inclusivity, and responsiveness in how government messages are crafted and delivered.
“Citizens don’t experience government in fragments. Our communication must reflect that — seamless, strategic, and centered on impact,” Dr. Zawedde said.
As the workshop continues, participants have been urged to treat the event as more than just a skills-building session, but as a national recommitment to professional and purposeful storytelling in the public sector.
“Government communicators are enablers of performance and trust,” Kakooza said. “This training is about equipping you to tell the story of Uganda’s transformation.”
