Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication is Finally Established by an Act of Parliament
It has finally landed! The processing of enacting Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC) Bill into law is concluded. It is a piece of beautiful legislation now enacted by Zambia Parliament and awaiting the President of the Republic of Zambia to assent the Bill into law.
And what a journey it has been! The process of formulating this self-regulation framework was an eye opener. To begin with, the course was fully consultative and PR professionals were in the diving seat. Zambia Public Relations Association (ZAPRA) was deeply engaged in this activity. On this historic day of 28th July 2022, the ZIPRC Bill passed the Second Reading in Parliament and proceeded to Third Reading. We all knew it was a done deal. Finally, we have a legal framework for self-regulating our profession.
What does the law aim to achieve?
The objects of the ZIPRC Act are to continue the existence of ZAPRA and re-name it as Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication. The law also re-defines ZAPRA’s functions as recommended by PR professionals during the formulation stages.
ZIPRC would provide for registration of Public Relations and Communication professionals and regulate Public Relations and Communication professionals’ conduct, among other functions.
The PR profession has seen revolutionary phases over the years in Zambia. Before 2005, it was debatably unattractive to pursue PR and Communication studies in Zambia. There was no stand-alone PR training in Zambia at degree level and the absence of a professional body to regulate the professional conduct of PR and Communication professionals made the situation worse.
PR and Communication functions in organisations were mainly handled by professionals from other fields like marketing, public administration, economics, medicine and human resources, among others.
Most untrained PR practitioners did not disseminate accurate, honest and forthright information while communicators including those in government misunderstood PR to be a profession that conceals or manipulates information, more or less like propaganda.
As a consequence, most organisations and companies in Zambia became dormant volcanoes of crisis as they were caught up with communication disasters. “This was because the PR role was not fully understood. The practitioners themselves were not qualified so they never produced measurable results that could aid management to measure performance of the function,” says Lucy Kapiteni, a PR Lecturer at Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellency and Business Management (LIUTEBM).
Over the last 10 to 15 years, however, PR training and recognition in Zambia started gaining ground. Both public and private universities started introducing specific stand-alone degree courses in PR and Corporate Communications over the last 15 years. Correspondingly, government departments and ministries as well as local authorities and the private sector started employing qualified PR and Communication specialists over the same period.
However, PR and Communication continued getting practiced haphazardly as practitioners were not been compelled to adhere to any Code of Conduct. It was difficult, for instance, to safeguard the interests of PR practitioners and different stakeholders they serve.
In 2008, the Zambia Association of Public Relations (ZAPRA) was established to promote professionalism, knowledge sharing and ethical conduct among Communication and PR practitioners in the country.
Among the objectives of the Association, which have now been well captured in the new law are to:
1. Promote general understanding of PR and Communication professionals and of the value of its practice and to establish and maintain professional status and dignity for PR and communication practice amongst registered members of ZAPRA, employers and the general public.
2. Encourage the observance of the highest standards of professional conduct by registered members of ZAPRA, through adherence to the ZAPRA code of ethics and professional standards for the practice of Public Relations and all forms of communication management.
3. Protect the interests of all concerned in the event of any complaint of malpractice or non-adherence to the ZAPRA code of ethics and professional standards brought against a registered member, through the application of a set of disciplinary procedures.
In 2019, ZAPRA started engaging stakeholders with the possibility of coming up with the Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication (ZIPRC) Bill to regulate the profession. Between 2019 and 2022, government institutions, academia, private sector, various organisations and individuals were consulted on the proposed Bill.
On July 7, 2022, Zambia’s Information and Media Minister Chushi Kasanda presented the ZIPRC Bill, 2022 to Parliament for First Reading. This followed the decision of the 13th Cabinet meeting chaired by President Hakainde
Hichilema which approved the ZIPRC Bill 2022 for publication and introduction in Parliament during the current sitting.
As per procedure, the ZIPRC Bill was referred to the Committee on Media, Information and Communication Technologies for scrutiny. The National Governing Council (NGC) of ZAPRA, Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) and the University of Zambia were among institutions that appeared as witnesses before the Parliamentary Committee.
Announcing the Cabinet decision, Ms. Kasanda said it was important to have in place a clear law for self-regulation of professionals involved in matters pertaining to Public Relations and Communication.
“The need to inform and educate the public should carry factual matters so that the public is not misled, especially that, currently, there is no specific law that regulates the conduct of public relations and communications professionals in the country,” Ms. Kasanda said.
ZAPRA is pleased to have realized this significant milestone in promoting the PR profession in Zambia. Congratulations all.
Irene Lungu Chipili is the President of ZAPRA – Zambia Institute of Public Relations and Communication
Any thoughts or opinions expressed are that of the authors and not of Global Alliance.