Zambia Public Relations Association (ZAPRA) Vice Secretary has encouraged communications students as well as upcoming public relations practitioner to be associated with ZAPRA.
Speaking during the first public relations career fair hosted by the National Institute for Public Administration (NIPA) under the theme, “A Career Path in Public Relations- How Ready are you?” on October 23, 2019, Ms. Juliet Tembo highlighted the importance of the profession having a regulatory body in Zambia.
She stressed the fact that the organization, through networking, creates a platform where fellow practitioners are able to commend and recommend students and graduates to potential employers because of the credibility that ZAPRA has built over the years.
Ms. Tembo said that the profession of public relations isn’t one that can be mastered but through interactions and members may assist each other effectively.
“Like I said earlier you can’t know it all, so as ZAPRA we endeavour to provide different training programmes so that you learn,” Ms. Tembo said.
Speaking at the same event, Director of Communications and Outreach at Millennium Challenge Account Zambia Dr. John Kunda said public relations specialist are the first and last line of defence thus it is important for public relations to hold high standards of professionalism and ethics.
“As a communicator, understanding knowledge is key… strategic communicators are able to represent their company well, that’s why I advocate that they must be in the board room to listen and understand the strategic vision of the institution that you represent,” Dr. Kunda said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Susan Mulikita, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Liquid Telecom expressed concern over the low numbers of registered members in the association.
“ I’ve worked as a Public Relations person for a company before and I think your job is really exciting … and I heard that only Two hundred and Fifty Four of you are registered while lawyers are in an excess of 1000 and if you are not a member you cannot be employed,” the CEO said.
The Zambia Public Relations Association (ZAPRA) is the professional body for Communications and Public Relations practitioners in Zambia whose objective is to promote professionalism, knowledge sharing, and ethical conduct among the members.