KIGALI - Not even the afternoon downpour could stop public relations executives from both the private and public sector to descend on the magnificent Kigali Serena to be part of history as the Public Relations Association of Rwanda (PRAR) was being launched on Friday March 29, 2008.

While launching the association, Dr. Alfred Ndahiro, the advisor on communications and public relations in the office of the president called on members to improve their individual competence and conduct themselves with dignity.

He also implored them "to comprehensively come up with strategies that will promote our country in order to achieve its objectives as set out in Vision 2020.”

He added that the launch of PRAR comes at the right time as there is need " to adapt quickly to respond to global issues that are beyond our boarders and this can only be done by professionals who can design and implement communication strategies to fight disease, poverty, and illiteracy,” among others.

Dr. Ndahiro cautioned that good public relations practice is based on long term planning as opposed to management by crisis.

"Bad public relations practice focuses on short term goals and questionable ethics,” he advised.

He said that public relations practitioners are change agents and advised that people don’t mind change rather the process.

On his part, the President of PRAR, Peter Malinga, outlined the challenges faced by fellow practitioners including the equating of the profession to events management and serving of tea among others.

"PR has been seen as a profession for pretty faces, which is not the case,” he said.

He pledged that his association will work closely with both the public and private sectors to boost the profession. The association will launch an online magazine, a quarterly forum for practitioners and work closely with the East African Public Relations Association to which PRAR is already a member.

The gathering was also addressed by Andrew Mwenda, the managing editor of the Independent magazine which circulates across East Africa, who discussed a paper titled "What Makes News.” 

He advised that a good public relations practitioner is one who endures through persistence to create a great relationship with the media.

The event was sponsored by HIDA, RITA, BCR, New Times, Kigali Serena, and MTN among others. The launch was followed by entertainment from a local band and a cocktail where members freely interacted late into the night.

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