Do you have a business continuity plan?

________________

With Uganda’s upcoming election on the horizon, both big and small businesses must strive to maintain continuity. Business Continuity refers to a proactive approach that ensures integral business functions continue to operate during and after a disruptive event or unpredictable environment.

In a world defined by uncertainties, where cyberattacks strike without warning, supply chains falter, natural disasters disrupt communities, political transitions introduce new risk and regulatory shifts and global pandemics reshape economies, business continuity planning stands as the cornerstone of business or organisational resilience by preparing organisations to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively.

Implementing Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a business management strategy which companies ought to consider as a norm. The sole purpose of BCM is to maintain the company’s essential services, as well as the planned resumption of activities. This can be achieved by assessing the associated risks and drawing contingency plans.

A company should have a Business Continuity Policy (BCP) to guide in formulating the goals and other related strategies. A BCP should be appropriate to the purpose of the organisation, provide a framework for setting business continuity objectives, include a commitment to satisfy applicable requirements and continual improvement of the BCMS.

As many enterprises recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic shock, there comes the 2026 elections, where it's outcomes are not entirely certain. It is a pity that we fail to learn from our past mistakes and negligence. Uganda has previously held elections, and some businesses have made losses due to the riots. If a business continuity plan had been in place, these losses would not have occurred or would have been minimised.

My questions to all entrepreneurs are: What lessons have we learnt directly and indirectly through the previous elections in Uganda? What risks do we foresee in these forthcoming elections, and what measures are we putting in place so that they don’t entirely stop us from operating our primary objectives?

It is a significant blunder to learn nothing from past business mistakes and carry them forward. Organisations must recognise that political transitions often bring uncertainty that can ripple across the economy, therefore, Business Continuity Planning provides a structured way to anticipate these challenges and prepare responses that keep essential operations running.

The Business Continuity Management lifecycle includes initiating the BCM project, understanding the organisation or business, identifying risks and their business impact, designing a continuity plan and the necessary procedures, implementing the settled measures, testing their effectiveness and exercising them for incidents and finally, performing continuous maintenance and update of measures taken. By proactively assessing risks and embedding contingency plans into their operations, businesses not only shield revenue and safeguard reputation but also embody stability and reliability.

In uncertain times, this preparedness reassures customers and stakeholders that the organisation can withstand disruption and continue delivering value with confidence.
The organisational top management is under a duty to establish, implement, maintain and ensure that the business continuity policy and objectives are compatible with the strategic direction of the organisation.

Business continuity objectives set by the Organisation ought to be consistent with the business continuity policy, measurable, monitored, communicated and appropriately updated. They should be determined by what will be done? What resources will be required? Who will be responsible?  When will it be completed? And how will the results be evaluated?

A Business Continuity Plan is paramount and must be crafted by the responsible people in every company.  As Uganda heads into the 2026 elections, a season when the winds of uncertainty may blow strongest, business continuity planning is not merely a precautionary exercise but a blueprint for resilience, a rational framework that keeps the ship steady when the storm hits.

Without a structured plan, responses to any election crises remain reactive and fragmented, little more than firefighting and piecemeal measures that heighten the risk of any Company’s financial loss and reputational damage.  Conversely, when a BCP is carefully designed and implemented, organisations build the muscle to maintain operational profitability and stability, keep the wheels of commerce turning, and reinforce stakeholder confidence.

In the thick of elections, when regulatory environments evolve, and tensions may run high, a well-laid continuity plan becomes the lifeline that separates the wheat from the chaff, enabling businesses not only to survive but also to thrive amidst change.

The writer is a Lawyer at Vision Group.