By Ronald Nahabwe
Uganda Peoples Defence Forces’ (UPDF) Communication Officers and Media Staff are undergoing a one-week training in media planning and strategic communication at Rivonia Suites in Kampala, in partnership with the United Kingdom Joint Information Activity Group.
The training aims at enhancing effectiveness in performance and personal growth among Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA)/UPDF Communication Officers and media staff.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Guest and UPDF Joint Chief of Staff (JCOS) Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu, noted that the training aims at augmenting the vision of UPDF, which is ‘Transformation into a modern, professional, efficient and accountable force anchored on a strong civil-military partnership and capable of efficient understanding of its mission Armed Forces.’
“UPDF needs to continuously inform the public on what we do and why we exist to build a professional image,” Gen. Musanyufu said.
He encouraged participants to pro-actively inform the public as earlier guided by the Commander-in-Chief of the UPDF Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, of the need to continuously inform the public on the core activities and to improve the image of the UPDF.
The JCOS commended the UK Joint Information Activities Group (JIAG) as a partner in the week–long training for offering to improve the quality of MODVA/UPDF communicators.
He further guided on the need to build adequate and credible defence capacity to address both internal and external threats through continuous information dissemination, adding that transferring knowledge effectively through information sharing strengthens the UPDF doctrine of being a Pro-People Army.
The Defence Advisor to the British High Commissioner to Uganda Lt. Col. Mathew Edwards, on behalf of the High Commissioner Ambassador Peter West, encouraged participants to be more interactive in order to get what they want from the course.
The Defence Spokesperson Brig, Richard Karemire noted that the training provides an opportunity for rapid improvement of communication skills among participants.
He further implored participants to always learn how to tell their own stories to score an impact on the public.
The opening session was also attended by MODVA Human Resource Commissioner Mr. Cox Anguzo, the Chairman Government Communicators Forum Mr. John Oyambi among other UPDF Senior Officers.
