The role of effective, consistent, localized and recurring communication in the fight against the coronavirus cannot be underestimated. Governments, health organizations, brands and even individuals have for the past 8 months used every avenue at their disposal to help communities prepare for and adjust to a world that no longer plays by our rules.

It is worth noting that communication focused on behavioural change, socioeconomic changes and psychosocial adjustments is key to how humanity will recover from this crisis. But, like a famous adage goes, the science of doing “Everything in moderation” is as important to what lessons will stick with us and what will be washed away when the storm settles.

In communicating with internal and external audiences, how do companies ensure that their messages are relevant, practical and have a shelf life that will go past the week’s hashtag?

The diary of an over booked employee

For employees whose jobs involve team and project coordination, a calendar that’s fully booked for the next 2 months is expected. But for those who are tasked with the creation, development, testing and selling of products, spending 70pc of work hours in meetings can be detrimental and frustrating. Do online meetings offer flexibility? Yes. Do they take up less time or ensure more productivity? Not necessarily. Now may be a good time for companies to examine the ways in which we’ve turned internal communication into a never-ending and oftentimes, dragging activity and come up with systems that are sensitive to staff productivity and engagement.

It’s time for links, codes and meeting IDs to take a bow

If we gave our customers a dollar for every online discussion that’s been marketed to them, they’d have a sizeable piggy bank. With each new engagement, audiences are subjected to eyestrain, data costs and information overload. “The new normal”, “Unprecedented times”, have become fodder for jokes from customers who have heard them one too many times.

A critical part of a holistic communication journey is analysis – taking stock of efforts and making any adjustments if necessary; an action that doesn’t have to come at the end of this pandemic fight. Fewer but impactful activities will have deeper and lasting impact as opposed to frequent interactions which mix large panels with surface discussions.

The burnt-out Communications Specialist

As management teams task their Brand and Communications teams to continuously churn out internal, stakeholder and customer communication, they should consider the limits of their team’s creativity and productivity. Whether it be a one liner piece of copy, a press release report or campaign communication, the routine birth of content is a heavy task. Having a clear, phased plan allows your company to focus on dissemination of critical and effectual dialogues and allows your team to create memorable campaigns and content.

As each of us feels the effects of the pandemic, we can agree that the inevitable has already happened and life has indeed changed. But we cannot continue to act from an automated zone. On the one hand audiences are bombarded with online and audio-visual content amidst limited time to process or even apply it. On the other we have overstretched communications teams ticking boxes when what we really need to be doing is going back to the basics of effective communication which is about being deliberate, necessary and impactful.

Rukh-Shana Namuyimba is the Manager, Communications and Events at

dfcu Bank

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DFCU, Uganda’s third largest lender announced CDC Group’s impending departure in a market advisory this week, in which it said a minority investor was disposing if its stake. That development was confirmed today with the revelation of IFU’s entry into DFCU.

CDC was a founding member with a 60pc stake when the Ugandan lender opened shop in 1964. However that has been progressively degraded as the group embarked on a staggered exit over the last six years. CDC first reduced its shareholding in the Ugandan lender from 60pc to 15pc in 2013 before shedding another 6pc in 2017.

CDC’s Chief Executive, Nick O’Donohoe said DFCU had matured to a point where CDC could exit and deploy its resources elsewhere in the Ugandan economy.  “Our partnership with DFCU has perfectly demonstrated our credentials as a provider of patient capital. And I am delighted that in IFU, we are passing the baton to a like-minded investor that, alongside Arise, the largest existing shareholder in DFCU, will be as equally committed to DFCU’s long-term stability and success.”

DFCU, he added, was now firmly established in the Ugandan economy “so we felt it was the appropriate time to deploy our capital elsewhere.”

O’Donohoe said CDC still considers Uganda a good investment destination and would be on the lookout for opportunities to reinvest in the country the proceeds from the sale of its stake in DFCU.

DFCU Limited board chair Elly Karuhanga, said the 55 year old company had made significant contribution to the economic development and transformation of Uganda because of strong shareholders.

“With IFU as one of the shareholders, we are confident that dfcu is well on track to achieving its vision of being the preferred financial institution in Uganda. We take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to CDC who have walked this journey with us since 1964. Their commitment and support over the last 55 years has enabled us to make real tangible progress towards the achievement of our vision. We look forward to continued collaboration with CDC in other areas in the future.”

IFU´s Chief Executive Officer, Torben Huss said IFU was pleased “to become a shareholder in DFCU as we share the ambition to expand access to financial services. We see this acquisition as a strategic step to increase our engagement in the private sector in Uganda.

Since it first invested in Uganda in 1949, CDC has over time seen its portfolio in the country grow to USD 120 million across 35 different businesses including Bujagali Hydropower.

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