URSB Team Gains Insights on Stakeholder Engagement from ERA Visit
The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Division of Communication and Corporate Affairs recently conducted a benchmarking visit to the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) to enhance its stakeholder engagement practices.
The visit, attended by Ag. Principal Communications Officer, Mr. Denis Nabende, Communications Officers Ms. Elizabeth Agiro and Ms. Cindy Nalule, and Support Staff, Mr. Isaac Magero, was prompted by ISO certification audit findings that identified gaps in URSB’s stakeholder engagement documentation.
ERA shared valuable insights on their collaborative approach to stakeholder engagement, emphasising the importance of understanding stakeholder needs and tailoring messages accordingly.
“Stakeholder engagement is about collaboration and partnership,” Mr. Ibrahim Kasita, ERA’s Principal Stakeholder Engagement Officer, explained, highlighting their systematic framework that includes stakeholder identification, mapping, and continuous monitoring.
Key takeaways included the need for cross-departmental involvement, management buy-in, and treating each activity as a distinct project cycle. ERA also demonstrated how they use focus group discussions and online surveys to gather feedback and manage stakeholder expectations effectively.
The URSB team learned about ERA’s five-step process: identifying stakeholders, documenting their needs, conducting mapping and analysis, implementing engagement plans, and establishing feedback loops for monitoring and evaluation.
Armed with these insights, URSB plans to develop a comprehensive stakeholder engagement framework aligned with ISO requirements and best practices observed during the visit.
